The Cocked hat is
a form of formal
headgear,
worn by certain civilian,
military and naval officials
from the mid-19th Century
until the beginning of World
War II and occasionally
even today.Evolved from
the
bicorne,
the black-colored cocked
hat is triangular in shape,
with the
brim at the left and
right sides turned up and
pinned together; the front
and back ends are pointed;
there is usually a cockade
in the national color's
at the right side. It is
often trimmed in gold or
silver. Naval officers wore
this hat without further
decorations, but those worn
by military and civilian
officials may be lavishly
decorated with colored
ostrich or swan feathers.
Navies around the world,
once almost universal in
using cocked hats, ceased
wearing them at the beginning
of World War II; after the
war, however, some military,
diplomatic and colonial
officials have resumed wearing
the cocked hat at very formal
occasions, and occasionally
still do so today.
