Turbans

Turbans Summary

• Historical Styles
• Adding Fabric Braids
• How-To Wrap an Oriental Headdress
• Pattern Sources

An oriental headdress made of long pieces of cloth that are wrapped and rolled. Sometimes they are formed over a close-fitting cap. Especially for longer hair, the cap stops the decorative headdress from slipping and helps to hold it all in place.

Whenever European culture was exposed to the Orient, the turban became fashionable …the 11th to 13th century Crusades, the capture of Constantinople in 1453, the Napoleonic Wars.

These illustrations, from The Mode in Hats and Headdress begin in 14th century Turkey.

Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress



Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

By the 15th century, the fashion had spread to Germany, as these next two illustrations show.



Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress


Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

In 16th century Persia, both the king and the soldier wore this style of protective headdress.



Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress



Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

European women, including those of Scotland, have worn wrapped scarves off and on for hundreds of years. In Monday's blog, October 15, the portrait by Vermeer shows a 17th century modified turban.


Image courtesy Wikipedia

In the later 1700's turbans revived once again and were seen with open and closed tops as seen in these illustrations.

1790's American bejeweled style ~

Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

1790's French style ~


Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

1790’s American style constructed of metallic ribbon and tulle ~


Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

1790’s English style with an open crown exposing the hair ~


Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

In 1817, during the Empire Era, they were once again fashionable. Princess Caraboo conned the English. For weeks she had a village near Bristol believing she was an Oriental princess. This illustration portrays the Princess Caraboo, with her turban.


Image courtesy Wikipedia

A movie is available in DVD and VHS, with lots of wrapped headdresses in varying styles shown as everyone tries to emulate the princess. At a ball almost everyone is wearing some adaptation. It’s a good source for viewing a wide selection of styles and interpretations.


Image courtesy Wikipedia

The Victorians also wore wrapped varieties of head-dress, which continued into the 20th century. In the 1940's and 1950's wrapped hair coverings once again became fashionable. In this era they were called cache-misere, hide misery, or “what to wear on a bad hair day”. Today they are fashionable with chemotherapy patients with hair loss.

Fabric Braids with a Headdress

If you're wanting to create the illusion of long hair, one way is to don a turban, including a matching 3-strand braid down to waist length, hanging to one side. Sewing a few crystal or semi-precious beads along the length of the braid will add luster and formality.


Image courtesy R. Turner Wilcox
The Mode in Hats and Headdress

This would be a modified Medieval . Other similar ideas for imitation braids can be seen on the Scottish Wedding Dreams Hair Wrap page.

How To Wrap a Turban

From Two Directions ~Place the center of a long rectangle on your head. With your right hand, twist the fabric back and towards the head. While holding this, use your left hand and do the same thing with the other half. Alternate back and forth between the two hands, working around the back and up to the front again.

To cover the neck, leave about 12 to 15 inches of one end unwrapped, bring it around the neck, and tuck in the opposite side.

From one direction ~ begin in the back, leaving the 12 to 15 inches, and wrap around the head, returning to the back, then tuck the two ends in separately.

By using two layers of matching or co-ordinated scarves, one on top of the other, you can cover more of the back (nape) of the neck and achieve a fuller look.

As we each approach ideas from different directions, here’s 4 URL’s with wrapping directions and illustrations.

• David D Friedman
  
  
• Akal Publications
  
  
• Davina
  
  
• Mike’s Sanctuary

Sources

Silk Tartan Sash

Donaldsons of Crieff has a really nice silk tartan sash, with a five-kinot fringe, available in any tartan. This could be used as a turban, with one end of the fringe hanging down and the other end tucked in.


Image courtesy Donaldsons of Crieff

Commercial Patterns

• McCalls #M4116 ~
  
  
  Image courtesy McCalls Patterns
  
  
• Patterns of Time RH917 an early 19th century style ~
  
  
  Image courtesy Patterns of Time
  
  Patterns of Time RWN714 1795 to 1825 style ~
  
  
  Image courtesy Patterns of Time

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