Bicorne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bicorne is an archaic form of hat, or headgear, associated with the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Much worn by European and American military and naval officers, it is most readily associated with Napoléon Bonaparte.
Evolved from the tricorne, the black-coloured bicorne originally had a rather broad brim, with the front and the rear halves turned up and pinned together, forming a semi-circular fan shape; there was usually a cockade in the national colours at the front. Later, the hat became more triangular in shape, its two ends became more pointed, and it was worn with the cockade at the right side. This kind of bicorne eventually became known in the English language as the cocked hat, although to this day it is still known in the French language as the bicorne.
Some forms of bicorne were designed to be folded flat, so that they could be conveniently tucked under the arm when not being worn. A bicorne of this style is also known as a chapeau-bras or chapeau-de-bras.
[edit] Current usages
The Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom wears a tricorne hat, but the other Lords Commissioners wear bicorne hats.
Members of the Académie française wear the habit vert (green habit) at the Académie's ceremonies. The habit includes a black jacket and a cocked hat (officially called a bicorne), each embroidered in green.
Students at the Ecole Polytechnique wear a cocked hat (again officially called a bicorne) as part of their Grand Uniforme (GU). Female students used to wear a tricorne hat but now also wear a bicorne.
The uniform of the horsemen of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna includes a bicorne.
