REPORT
Hats from the MFIT collection
whether it addresses a need or hole in our collection, and whether it will be displayed in upcoming exhibitions.” MFIT’s hat collection is stored in a
purpose-built storage room located on the museum’s premises. This is a secure space which is climate-controlled with specialised cabinetry and interior shelving to accommodate the entire hat collection. “Each hat is individually housed on a custom supportive mount fabricated from conservation-grade inert materials,” says Ann. “The hat, on its mount, is then placed on a shelf where it remains until needed for research or exhibition.” The museum is currently showing Head to Toe. This exhibition explores
the history of Euro-American women’s fashion from 1800 through to the early 21st century by examining the role of accessories within the total ensemble. Outlining the theme, curators Melissa Marra-Alvarez and Elizabeth Way say: “Accessories communicate socially constructed ideas, including femininity, sexuality, modesty, race, class, power, and modernity, as well as illuminate changes in the broader social landscape.” All the objects shown in the
exhibition are part of the museum’s permanent collection and were selected as they showed significant style changes for Western women.
Among the over 300 items featured are 33 hats, 2 hairpins and 1 hatpin. How the pieces are displayed as part of the exhibition is a consideration not only for the curation but also the conservation team, which ensures they are shown in a manner that is both supportive of the object and demonstrative of how the hats would have looked on the wearer. For this latest display, Ann says: “Some of the hats are mounted on fibreglass head forms while others are mounted on individually constructed custom mounts crafted from archival materials.” The Head to Toe exhibition is running until May 8, 2022.
Museu da Chapelaria S. João da Madeira, Portugal
www.museudachapelaria.pt/en
The Museu da Chapelaria (Hat Museum) originated with the closure of the
Empresa Industrial de Chapelaria hat factory in S. João da Madeira. The factory,
which was operational from 1914 until 1996, was considered one
of the largest and most important hat factories of the Iberian Peninsula and was the first to incorporate mechanical processes in felt hat production and to >>
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