This hat starts at the crown, expanding from a loop into a flower, and then transforming into a shell stitch, whose clusters gradually become smaller and smaller. It reminds me of a snood, those decorative hairnets from the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance--and later, too, of course, as more and more women began working in factories during World War II, though more for practicality then.

All the clothing we wear is a nod to history. When you pull on your super-cute jeans, remember that Levi’s started making women’s jeans only in the 1930s. What is commonplace now wasn’t always. If we remember the past, we are more able to value the present.

As a bonus, if you want to go to a Renaissance fair, you could rock this hat with your corset!