Vive La Phrygian Cap
Does the cap in the picture look anything like a toilet plunger? Last month in Toronto at the International Festival here Valerie Tian was seen wearing a Phrygian Cap. It was suggested by a fashion commentator that the cap looked like she had a toilet plunger on her head.
In a letter to the Globe and Mail Canada’s National Newspaper (Update more than just Toronto) a reader took a great exception to this characterization. Actually Valerie was wearing a cap in the style of Marianne – the symbol of France and the French Revolution. These caps are experiencing a comeback and can be considered to be stylish.
I have included a gallery of Public Domain images from Wikimedia showing the caps. Enjoy:
Facts about Phrygian Caps
The Phrygian Cap is typically a soft red conical cap that is pulled forward. Other colours have been worn for fashion. It is similar to the Turkish cap worn in the region of Anatolia by the inhabitants of Phrygia- like a conical Fez.
The Phrygian Cap is a symbol of liberty, particularly in the French Revolution as depicted in the gallery above.
Similar Hats:
- The Pileus was a smaller cap more like a skull cap that was worn by freed slaves in antiquity and became symbolic of liberty.
- Some toques ( a knitted hat associated with Canada) if they are in a conical shape can be worn to resemble a Phrygian Cap if you wish to have the look.
Many countries incorporate the Phrygian cap into their heraldry. In addition to France these countries include Cuba, Bolivia, Columbia, Argentina, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Paraguay.
Marcel Boucher, a maker of fine costume jewellry in the 1930s to 1960s used the Phrygian cap as his trade mark on the fine silver pieces he produced in the 1940s (he is a favorite of mine and I own a few choice pieces).
