Boudoir cap

Mary Pickford wearing a boudoir cap and negligee in 1921

A boudoir cap is a form of lingerie hat that was popularly worn in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.^[1] In its original form, the boudoir cap was worn over undressed hair,^[2] and has been compared to the 18th century mob cap.^[3][4] Particularly towards the end it was designed to be worn in the privacy of the boudoir with negligees or nightwear.^[3] It was often made from lightweight lingerie-type fabrics such as muslin or net and trimmed with silk ribbon and lace.^[3] During its later revival in the 1910s and 1920s, it was used to protect short hairstyles whilst sleeping,^[5] or first thing in the morning as ideal "for the smart bedroom woman."^[6] Towards the end of the 1920s and into the 1930s, the boudoir cap evolved into a form of decorative hairnet.^[5]

References

1. Cumming, Valerie; Cunnington, C.W.; Cunnington, P.E. (2010). The dictionary of fashion history. Oxford: Berg. pp. 55–56. ISBN 9781847887382.
2. Lewandowski, Elizabeth J. (2011). The complete costume dictionary. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 9780810877856.
3. Chico, Beverly (2013). Hats and headwear around the world : a cultural encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 295–296. ISBN 9781610690638.
4. "Boudoir cap, ca. 1917, American.". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
5. Willett Cunnington, C.; Cunnington, Phillis (1992). The history of underclothes. New York: Dover Pub. p. 291. ISBN 9780486319780.
6. "Boudoir cap, 1926-35". Museum of London. Retrieved 7 May 2014.