This small hat is composed of whorls of heavy grosgrain ribbon which have been tightly pleated and fanned out to create a chic head-hugging cap. Before fashionable hairdos increased in size and bouffancy in the later 1950s, small, close-fitting hats that sat comfortably upon sleek hairstyles were considered very smart and could be worn equally with a tailored suit or a summer dress.

This hat is an early example of the work of the London-based milliner Edward Mann. He registered his business in September 1938 and had become well-known by the mid-1950s. In the 1960s, his updated designs became successful, making him briefly one of the most desirable hat brands of the decade. He designed the hats for the popular 1960s television character Emma Peel of 'The Avengers' played by Diana Rigg; and one of his floppy-brimmed hats was chosen as part of the 1967 look for the Fashion Museum, Bath's Dress of the Year collection.