Traditional lace cap with straw Sunday hat, from West-Friesland, The Netherlands. TRC Collection.

The concept of women’s head and hair covering, especially in the Islamic world, attracts a lot of attention in the media, but little is said about the actual and highly diverse ways with which women and girls from all religions and cultural backgrounds, both in the Netherlands and throughout the world, bedeck their heads and hair. The current TRC exhibition shows over fifty examples of traditional Dutch lace caps from the four corners of the country, and 101-plus modern and traditional ways of covering and decorating the head and hair, worldwide. There are individual items as well as complete outfits, all of which help to show how a well-decorated head is an important matter, both for the wearer and society.

In the exhibition it is possible to see many different forms of head and hair attire, including items made of beads, cloth, embroidery, feathers, furs, rainbow colours, shells, even human hair. Some of the items on display are elaborate constructions that simply make you wonder how they could ever be worn, let alone while walking or dancing.

The exhibition includes outfits and headgear kindly provided by various foreign embassies in The Hague.