Halloween witch hat--spirit of gothic witch

The witch hat's meaning has changed a lot across time, just like the way we see witches. This type of hat is usually represented as conic in shape, with a very wide brim and it can come in different styles. While the origin and the association with witches is not known, a lot of historians point out the origin might be "alewife hats": alewifes were women, often unmarried, that brewed beer and sold it, and they usually wore a conical pointy hat and would hang brooms in front of their house to indicate they sold beer, and their image has contributed to the idea of the modern witch that we now have in pop culture.

Before Christianity, witches were considered to be wise women that using plants, herbs and natural remedies could cure all sorts of illnesses, they held a similar status to doctors and were admired and revered. However, when Christianity and its teaching became mainstream in the West, women practicing professions and having independence started to be seen as an ugly, sinful thing and the legend of the evil, ugly witch that rides a broom and wears a pointy hat started to appear. However, gothic culture really loves marginalizes, "sinful", non-acceptable "monsters" and they really love exploring the ideas that are considered mysterious, occult or taboo to most: death, vampires, skeletons... so the figure of the witch, and therefore the witch hat, became something very popular in gothic fashion !

It is undeniable that witch hats are not only useful (they help you protect your face from the Sun) but they are also really beautiful and elegant. With the wide broom and its pointy end, it is undeniable that this kind of hat can give a bit of charm to any type of gothic outfit. In gothic lolita or gothic fashion, they can help provide a dramatic touch to the outfit (however, they can look a bit "costumey" if you want to keep your outfit casual). For costumes, they look absolutely perfect and can create the entire outfit: if you want to create a gothic witch costume, as long as you wear a pointy

hat and any kind of black clothing, people will instantly recognize you as a witch. The witch hat is representative of the figure of the witch and they have become interchangeable: as long as you show this kind of hat to someone they will immediately recognize you are a witch.

This type of hat can be made out of many different materials, come in many colours, shapes and sizes: as long as you keep the wide brim and the pointy end, you can do pretty much anything ! Usually, the most habitual material when it comes to costumes is polyester as it is really cheap, and it is very stiff which helps it keep the shape even if the kids play with it. Since it is usually intended for a kid to wear it with their costumes,they come with a lot of flashy decorations featuring spiders, spider webs, cats, pumpkins and other witchy or Halloween themes. They tend to be black, but they sometimes come in different flashy colours.

For hats worn for fashion or for more elaborate costumes, the materials and the quality are higher, the construction is better and we usually have a lot more choice. Of course, the pointy end and the wide brim always stay, but the material can be softer or fluffier, and the pointy sometimes is not on the top of the hat. We can find hats made out of felt, canvas, sturdy cotton and sometimes even silk ! Instead of being completely stiff, sometimes this hats are a bit soft and wrinkly to give the appeareance of being old and worn, and they come in a lot of different colours and decorations.

One last fashionable style of witch's hat is the minihat: originally worn mostly in gothic lolita, it quickly spread to gothic, punk and Halloween costumes because it is really cute and tiny. A tiny version of the witch hat, it is usually worn on the side of the head and held by a headband or pins. Since it is so small, it is usually less decorated that the big version, and the materials and quality tend to be cheaper; however, some like this one are a bit more ornate and higher quality.

My favourite witch aht has to be this one, made by the japanese brand Alice and the Pirates which matches this dress that I own. Since this is a Halloween dress, I don't mind looking a bit dramatic and costumey, specially if I was wearing this witch hat !

I would love to complement this outfit with some black lace tights and black lace gloves like this ones, some simple black shoes to go trick or treating and a bag. This witch hat is very elegant and elaborate, so it would go well with more refined and dramatic costumes, for example this dress combined with the hat could create a very beautiful gothic witch costume !

For this outfit I feel like it looks more vampire-like than anything, but it can also be used for a a witch outfit. With this outfit, to turn it into a witch costume I would wear a very elaborate felt hat like this one, really beautiful, elegant booties,necklace and I would carry a broom.

For the cloak I would make a simpler costume, by wearing this skirt and this blouse with black long socks and Steam Punk Skull Pendant Leather Black Women's Round-toe High Heel Shoes, witch hat and this earrings , and a pumpkin bucket for trick or treating !

The figure of the witch and the witch hat has changed a lot from old times:from someone that used to be admired and looked up to as a doctor to an evil monster that wants to eat children,the witch is a mysterious and admirable figure that gothic fashion wants to imitate and incorporate in the style. The witch's hat,the symbol most representative of the witch, is the key element to a gothic witch costume !