If it appears on the web it has to be a thing; stars wearing latex costumes seemingly setting a trend, some music diva supposedly dating/fighting with another, the rampant rumors of the upcoming possibilities of a Trump Presidency. These days cultural relevancy is measured by what is-and what is not-instantly blogged about, Instagram-ed, Tweeted. So when this week TMZ ran their annual celebrity Turkey Hat photo scroll (see here) we all must ask ourselves that yearly question: Are Turkey Hats really a thing?
Fashion question more than statement, seemingly Turkey Hats fall into the same satirical sartorial couture as the obligatory ‘ugly’ Christmas sweater. In the TMZ piece, notables like Cara Delevingne, Doutzen Kroes, and Ozzy Osbourne wear what seem to be the common Turkey Hat, a brown knit beanie made of plushy material fashioned to resemble brown turkey skin-in the shape of the Thanksgiving bird-often with little white ‘feeties’ capping the edge of each leg. It’s as if the Turkey sat right down on one’s head in this style of hat.
But in the TMZ piece Willie Geist sports a more colorful cartoon version of the hat, Emmy Rossum (in one of two of her pics) a big red-necked version and Sabrina Carpenter a rather stylish knit hat, only really reminiscent of the usual hat in that it does sport legs with white little feet.
So it seems as far as style of Turley Hat we have outrageous cartoon-like ones, realistic (as far as wearing a turkey on your head can be realistic) and then maybe, even fashionable ones. As to how and why these hats came into being…that’s anyone’s guess (the net might have lots of pictures of Turkey Hats, but God knows it’s impossible to find a real fact proven history of the things). But styles are cyclic as we all know, so there may have been a time we did not have Turkey Hats at all and maybe of late they have made a comeback. Or maybe like that Ugly Xmas Sweater they have always been with us, as fashion ‘do not’s’ as much as a creative show of textile art.
But one thing we can be assured of, as Thanksgiving is truly and American construct, Turkey Hats had to have started in the U.S. They are just another American style influence we can be proud of.
Happy Thanksgiving from Dawnamatrix.
