Vintage 50s Cloche Hat, Purple Straw by Leslie James

About Cloche Hats

The cloche is a deep crowned, usually soft hat with little or no brim, worn pulled down over the ears and forehead, with the headband ending at the eyebrows. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lucie Hamar introduced the cloche in 1917, but other cloches in the Met’s collection are attributed to earlier years, including one with a B. Altman label, which the Met says is circa 1912. Other sources say the French milliner Caroline Reboux was the creator.

Cloche-like hats began to appear in the U.S. as early as 1915, replacing the oversized Edwardian hat. They were most commonly associated with flappers during the 1920s, when they were widely popular, eclipsing virtually all other hat styles. Reboux’s 1925 helmet shaped cloche became the dominant design for the rest of the decade. In the 1930s cloches began exposing more of the forehead, sometimes by rolling up the brim. By the mid-1930s, the cloche had fallen out of fashion. Revived in the 1970s, the cloche continues as one of the most popular.  From Hatatorium:  An Essential Guide for Hat Collectors, 2nd Edition.