Have you noticed that many hats have a little button on the crown of the hat. Is there a purpose or is it just for design?
Here Are The Reasons Why Hats Have Buttons On The Top Of The Hat:
Hats have buttons on the top for different reasons, this includes
It is a point where the seams join together
The button is a traditional style of the hat (going back centuries)
Cosmetic touch
We have put this article together giving you the reasons why hats have buttons, and all the past history of how and when buttons were developed on hats. Enjoy.
Reasons Why Hats Have Buttons On Top
Point Where Seams Join Together
Hats often have their buttons on them so that seam sewn at the back of the hat can be put in place. These buttons are usually found near the middle or bottom of the hat, depending on the style.
The button is usually plastic or metal and is often a bright colour to make it easier for people to find during games, performances, and theatrical productions. The button may also be permanent, especially if a hat is frequently laundered (like uniforms).
Typically, the buttons are placed to indicate the seam is where two pieces of fabric meet. However, some hats may have a different button placed to show that the seam is at another point on the hat.
Hats with brims often have buttons on the top to point out where the brim meets. The brims are meant to be decorative and should not be sewn together as they will cause durability issues. It is common for hats to have extra fabric for the brim and not to be sewn together when this additional material can be used as a finial instead or trimmed off entirely if this feature is not needed.
Hats with a brim, even if it is removable, often have their seams on the side of the hat where there is no brim or when wrapping around the back of the head. These can be a very short seam or as long as several inches. The buttons on these hats point out where the seam is located.
Traditional Design Of The Hat
The placement of a single button on the top of a hat has been around since at least the seventeenth century. Many scholars attribute this to the very long-coveted desire of those within noble families to have physical representations or markers that they were wealthy and had received formal education.
Back then, these buttons were purely functional, mainly mounted on hats to keep them from falling off or blowing away by a strong wind. When many wore tall hats, these buttons were handy for staying dry and keeping warm throughout rain storms. That was especially useful for people such as wealthy individuals or royalty, who were the only ones that could afford to own a hat and were among the few who would want to wear them.
Most scholars also attribute the presence of this button on top of hats to a desire for a distinction between nobles and the commoners. To denote their social standing, the nobility would add a button on their hat, while those living in poverty were not afforded this luxury due to financial reasons.
The traditional hat design is to place a button on top of it. That functioned as a way to keep the hat secure while wearing it, especially if the hat was being worn by someone wealthy. It also helped differentiate between nobles and commoners and mark the social class that particular person belonged.
In addition to marks about their social class, hats have other implied meanings when they have one button on top. For example, when placed in a certain way, the one button can mean that the wearer has an eye for beauty and is constantly seeking perfection in life or even just their appearance alone.
Cosmetic Touch
On some hats, you might find a small button with a flat surface. That is called a hat’s cosmetic touch and serves no functional purpose. It is an aesthetic feature with its particular history, and although it is not required for the hat to function, it can make the wearer look more fashionable.
For example, a baseball cap might have this little button on top just because it makes the wearer look stylish when they take off their cap each time but still leave their hair up in spikes. This hat has a cosmetic touch.
There are many different types of cosmetic touches: buttons, bells, and whistles (such as the little leaver on a straw hat); beads, bead chains, and feathers; and various pieces of trim. For example, the button on this hat is made of gold foil paper clipped to an actual button with a curved pendant shaped like an eagle’s beak.
What Is The History Of Buttons On Hats?
A button on a hat is a decoration used to add flair or style. Though the role of these decorations has changed over time, they remain popular in many countries and cultures to this day.
The history of buttons on hats began in Victorian England as an aesthetic element. That was primarily due to the common practice of selling hats rather than shoes for most men then.
The wide variety in styles developed by men and women during this era allowed for more variation in button placement, whether on the top, side, or backside of the hat’s crown. Thus, on top hats especially, the more buttons there were on a hat, the more expensive and superior it was as a result. In many ways, the buttons of this era became a status symbol for the wearer’s wealth.
However, this was not always the case. It was not until later that these items came to represent class and status.
During wartime, between 1914 and 1918 in Europe, many men took to wearing cloth helmets that had been inspired by medieval armor. These helmets did not allow any decoration to be placed on them. Therefore, any decoration would have been exceptional at that time.
During the period between 1905-1910, hats with buttons on them became especially popular due to their novelty. By 1910, however, this trend had begun to die off as a fad. As a result of this diminishing popularity, many began to sell off materials and accessories they had bought earlier to recoup some of their money.
It was during the 1960s that hat makers began creating hats with buttons on them again. Other clothing trends inspired this revival of sorts at that time. The Rockabilly movement may have had the most significant impact on these trends as it allowed more past vintage pieces to be worn again.
It was in the 1970s that hat makers took to using various materials, including horn, mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, and other types of wood on their items. Manufacturers used these materials in combination with each other to achieve a more elaborate finished product.
In more recent years, most hat makers have been using materials like these to create some variety amidst their options for customers. As is true for any industry, people like to have choices regarding their apparel and accessories. Manufacturers want to ensure that these customers find what they are looking for.
Buttons remained popular even as fashion changed through the ages. They are still used today in many different cultures, especially those with a heritage of using armor on their headgear.
