If man were a letter, his hat would be the icing on the cake. Well, or his beret an accent aigu, his beret an accent grave, his cowboy hat a circonflexe … But enough with comparisons that only those who had French at school or who are crazy about the Parisian haute couture of days gone by can understand. In any case, the language of hats is rich and beautiful, but unfortunately relatively unknown to many people today. Nevertheless, there are still a few brave milliners in Munich who make creations that are incredibly chic and often also wonderfully funny, usually made to measure.
Headgear never only tells about the elegance or sportiness of its wearer. It is a deep expression of their personality, daring, adaptability. And their financial possibilities – even if that was much more extreme in earlier centuries. At that time, status and origin also decided what one wore on one’s head, partly provided with rigid legal regulations.
The Bavarian National Museum also organizes themed Sundays as part of its current special exhibition “The Main Thing. Hats. Hoods. Hip-Hop Caps”. The coming (March 5th) is now dedicated to them: the great milliners from Munich and the surrounding area. They allow you to look over their shoulders while they do their delicate work and present their most beautiful creations.
For connoisseurs, they often have a signature that can be clearly assigned. The duo Eisenblätter & Triska, for example, who have their shop in the Glockenbachviertel and always work particularly sculpturally, from the delicately spun fascinator to the rain hat, or Julia Loesch from the traditional company Ina Böckler, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Since the times of the founder, this workshop has stood for great cinema. Julia Loesch learned from her daughter and continued the fine small workshop.
From New York, not from Munich: a hat with a feather trim by John Frederics around 1941/42. Feathers are among the “hat ingredients” that are particularly sensitive in terms of conservation.
(Photo: Bastian Krack, Bavarian National Museum)
Christine Halbig, whose shop is on Theatinerstraße, has a similarly enthusiastic group of fans. Together with the most well-known specialist shop for headgear in Munich, Hut Breiter, she will specifically demonstrate “the art of the set”. The milliners Ruth Zanker, Heike Thamm, Virginie Pässler (La Vee), Alida and Royal Featherflowers will also present what their (art) craft can do. The Bavarian National Museum promises “an intoxicating abundance of unusual headgear” at many different stands.
Visitors can try out most of these works – with a smaller selection, this is also possible at any time in one of the exhibition rooms. In addition, there is a hat flea market with used models, so many a new favorite can be bought there right away. At 2.30 p.m. Ute Patel-Mißfeldt, the founder of the largest known hat show in the world, will give a lecture on “Courage to wear a hat”. Various themed tours are also offered, for example about the production of hairnets and Nuremberg gold hoods. If you were a lady of the first class in the 17th century and wore such a lavish bonnet made of hundreds of fine gold plates, you would hear a delicate jingle with every movement. As a particularly subtle type of exclamation mark, so to speak.
Main thing. Theme Sunday, March 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bavarian National Museum, Prinzregentenstr. 3daily except Mondays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m