Hood (headgear)

Hood (headgear)

A hood is a kind of headgear that covers most of the head and neck and sometimes the face. They may be worn for protection from the environment, for fashion, as a form of traditional dress or uniform, to prevent the wearer seeing or to prevent the wearer being identified.

Today, fashion hoods are generally soft headcoverings which form part of a larger garment (e.g. an overcoat, shirt or cloak; an exception is a rain hood which is not part of a larger garment). They can be pulled up over the head when needed, or left to hang down the back when not. They may also be detachable to turn a winter overcoat into a summer one, or may be designed to be folded or rolled into a small pocket in the neck of the garment when not in use.

Historically, hoods were either similar to modern hoods, often forming part of a cloak or cape, or a separate form of headgear. Hoods with short capes, called chaperons in French, were extremely common in medieval Europe, and later evolved into extravagant hats. Soft hoods were worn by men under hats. Hoods have also been used as part of uniforms for organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.

Traditional women's hoods varied from close-fitting, soft headgear (e.g. snood) to stiffened, structured hoods (e.g. gable hood) or very large coverings made of material over a frame which fashionable women wore over towering wigs or hairstyles to protect them from the elements (e.g. calash).

The Inuit peoples of the Arctic were expert clothing manufacturers, and the women's anorak, technically called an "amauti", features a large hood used to shelter an infant on its mother's back.

A hood is a component of academic dress that is an often bright and decorative garment worn only on special occasions. The length of the hood and the width of its velvet trim indicate the academic achievement level of the wearer; the color of the trim indicates the discipline/field in which the degree is held; and the lining of hoods in academic dress represents the particular institution from which the degree was earned.

Scuba divers who dive in cold water often wear neoprene hoods for thermal insulation. They cover the whole head and neck except the face.

A hood to hide or control the wearer often covers the whole head, with the result that the wearer can see little or nothing, like a blindfold. Or it can be to prevent identification of the wearer. It may be used on or by person who has been arrested or kidnapped, or about to suffer judicial execution. The practice is known as hooding. The hood may be simply a bag. It may be intended to be, and/or experienced as, humiliating, see e.g. hood event.

A criminal may also wear a hood to prevent identification: in this case it is a mask, as it has holes for the eyes.

Close-fitting hoods are also used in BDSM: see bondage hood.

ee also

*Hoodie
*Sartorial hijab
*Burqini
*Headscarf
*Gable hood
*French Hood


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hood — may refer to:People: For a listing of people with the surname Hood, see Hood (people). Places* In the United States: ** Fort Hood, a US Army post near Killeen, Texas ** Hood College, a liberal arts college in Frederick, Maryland ** Mount Hood is… …   Wikipedia

  • Headgear — Headgear, headwear or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one s head.Headgear serve a variety of purposes: *protection (against impact, cold, heat, rain and other precipitation, glare, sunburn, sunstroke, dust …   Wikipedia

  • List of hats and headgear — This is an incomplete list of hats and headgear (that is, anything worn on the head), both modern and historical.HatsCaps and hats commonly worn today* balmoral * baseball cap * beanie or skully * beret * boonie hat * Borsalino * bucket hat also… …   Wikipedia

  • Chaperon (headgear) — Portrait presumed to be of Giovanni Arnolfini by Jan van Eyck, late 1430s. The chaperon is worn with cornette tied on top of the head, and the patte hanging behind (style C). The bourrelet is twisted.[1] Chaperon (pronounced …   Wikipedia

  • Snood (headgear) — A snood is a type of headgear, worn by women over their long hair. In the most common modern form it resembles a close fitting hood worn over the back of the head. The band covers the forehead or crown of the head, goes behind the ears and under… …   Wikipedia

  • French hood — A French hood is a type of woman s headgear popular in Western Europe in the sixteenth century.The French hood is characterized by a rounded shape, contrasted with the angular English or gable hood. It is worn over a coif, and has a black veil… …   Wikipedia

  • Bonnet (headgear) — A bonnet is a kind of headgear which is usually brimless. Only a few kinds of bonnets are still worn today, most commonly by babies.BabiesThe most common kind of bonnet worn today is a soft headcovering for babies. They are shaped similarly to… …   Wikipedia

  • Motoring hood — A woman s motoring hood fitted with spectacles from the year 1905. A motoring hood or driving hood was an unusual and short lived women s fashion dating to the turn of the twentieth century whose purpose was to protect the wearer from dirt and… …   Wikipedia

  • List of fashion topics — This is a list of topics related to fashion, many of which do not yet have Wikipedia articles. NOTOC 0 9 1300 1400 in fashion 1500 1550 in fashion 1600 1650 in fashion 1700 1750 in fashion 1795 1820 in fashion 20th century fashion A A line A line …   Wikipedia

  • Helmet — For other uses, see Helmet (disambiguation). A woman wearing a cycling helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., English policeman s helmet) without protective …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”