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16th Century Cultural Expressions

Men's Clothing...Part II
Head Coverings

Headgear was an important element in Spanish society. By uncovering his head a gentleman honored his betters and his equals or flattered his inferiors with grand flourishes.

Bonnets were adorned with ribbons, feathers, aglets, a badge or jewels. The brims were slashed and often turned under. Each bonnet had to bear the sign of the city and of the maker. A master would record his trademark at the time of his guild examination. Toledo claimed to make the best headgear, the water was good, its sheep had the best wool and the reverse side was red which was deemed good for the health. Seville also thought well of its bonnets and ruled that those which came from outside had to be inspected , approved and labeled with a wax seal before it could be sold in the city.

(Above) Johnny Shaffer is weaing a Scholar's Hat.

A large brimmed hat something like a sombrero decked out with with ostrich plumes and tassels was another choice..

(Gorra) Caps and Half Caps

Some were small fitted caps with no brim while others had brims which were slit, turned up and tied with aglets. Flat caps were also worn.

Stick a spoon in your hat and you will never go late to dinner for want of an eating utensil. Styled after peasant hats in paintings of the period by Brugel.
(Left) Hermann wears the red cap of a seafaring man.

Sailor's Gear

In the 16th Century sailors stood out in a crowd because of their distinctive garb. Blue slops, red caps or bonnets, a white chemise with a blue doublet (not shown) became the "uniform" of all men who were associated with seafaring. Captains, pilots or ship owners had their slops and doublet made of fine blue brocades.

It was taboo to wear leather shoes on deck so everyone aboard ship were issued two pairs of rope sandals to wear during their voyage. This probably more of a safety issue than a superstition. The hold a shipwreck, discovered off the coast of Florida, was filled with rope sandals on their way to Spain.

Outer wear included woolen shawls, capes and sheep fells.
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Hats, caps, and bonnets were often made of knitted or felted wool. To become a master bonnet maker required eight years of training. A man had to know the different kinds of wool, to separate the four parts of a fleece, to card wool, spin it and the proper shapes for all the different hats. He had to know how to do fulling, that is, how to clean, shrink, and thicken wool and to block the felt, to dye it in red and in black. He also had to learn to repair, press and line the hat with paper.