Hood and Chaperon

The Hood (fr. Capuche, Chaperon; nl. Capuchon; it. Cappuccio; es. Capucha; de. Kapuze, Gugel) is a headdress that has many different shapes and names. The hood was worn by men and women. We had a separate post ‘Chaperon’ about the history of men’s headgear.

Now consider the Hood as part of women’s fashion. The Hood or The Gugel came into fashion from Germany in the 13th century, but it was not popular with women until the 14th century. It was worn as travel clothing or protection from bad weather. In the 14th century, the Open Hood was more popular, but sometimes women wrap the hood around their heads like men. It was the Open Hood that received development and diversity. The hood is usually worn over other headgear, such as a bonnet.

Until the middle of the 15th century, various colors were used: blue, red, green and black. In the second half of the 15th century, red and black remain, and at the end of the century, only a black hood is used almost everywhere.

Until the end of the 15th century, the “tail” of the hood was clearly distinguished. A recognizable feature of Gugel is a pronounced “tail” on the top of the head, was called the tippit or liripipe in English, and liripipe or cornette in French. In the second half of the 15th century, it became so long that it was fixed with a belt at the back. At the end of the 15th century, the tail turned into a headdress.

From the beginning of the 16th century, the division of the forms of the hood into French (Arcelet) and English (Gable) begins. From the middle of the 16th century, only the French hood remains, which evolves into Attifet. We had other posts about all these hood models.

From the 17th century, the cloak with a hood returns, but that’s another story…