The tassel would be made from black or blue tram silk. If the fez was not of high quality, the person who wore it made a fool of himself when it rained, the red color would run down their forehead, and turn the person who wore it into an 'Apukurya buffoon,' in reference to the Greek tradition of painting faces during the Festival of Apukurya that takes place before the Easter.Ī fez was produced from broadcloth and the flat surface on top had a hole through which 2 centimeters of broadcloth was placed, and a tassel was connected to this surface. Those who wore a red fez were mocked, saying that 'A kite will come and pick it, thinking that it's fresh meat' because during a truce, the fez worn by the head of the İnegöl district of Bursa was stolen by a kite. However, the most acceptable way to wear a fez was to tilt it toward one ear.The color of the fez indicated the political view and profession of the person wearing it. For instance, Sultan Mahmud preferred the long and straight fez which was called 'Mahmudi,' Sultan Abdülaziz wore a short fez called 'Azizi' and Sultan Abdülhamid wore a long tapered fez called 'Hamidi.' Some people wore it up to their eyebrows while some wear it toward the back of their heads. The fezzes varied in shape, color, tassel and ways of wearing, and were available in different styles. Since sitting at a dinner table or accompanying the elderly without headwear was considered disgraceful, a fez was also worn in houses. When Austria annexed Bosnia in 1908, Austrian goods were boycotted for a short while, but then domestic production fell short of meeting demand and people began to wear Albanian-style conical hats.

Moreover, high-quality and expensive fezzes were imported from Austria as well. The Hereke Feshane of Sultan Abdülhamid produced fezzes of high quality. Feshane, the state-run fez factory, was founded in 1836. Previously, fezzes were imported from Tunisia however, the Ottoman non-Muslim community later established fez factories. A song by Ottoman artist Rıfat Bey 'Pek Yakıştı Eğri Fes' (A Crooked Fez Fits You Nicely) was very popular. Poems were written about the fez, saying that it made a man more handsome.

Evliya Çelebi wrote that Algerian men wore red fezzes. It is a common headwear in Mediterranean countries it was not originated from the Greeks or Hungarians, but was adapted by them later on. This headwear, which took its name from the Moroccan city named Fez, is reminiscent of the Phrygian conical hat of Anatolia. The reforms enacted by Sultan Mahmud II took place in accordance with national structure. Since a connection is made between headwear and faith in Islam, a fez which enabled people to wear a turban over it was quickly accepted among public. The janissaries were recently abolished, and people living under the Ottoman flag detested everything that reminded them of the Janissaries.

Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II saw this new attire of the marines in a ceremony, and ordered all soldiers and public officers to wear the fez in 1828, introducing a law requiring the wearing of a fez. Ottoman fleet commander Hüsrev Pasha made his soldiers wear the fez, which was first seen in Tunisia. Marines' attire needs to be nimble and light. Even today, a cap similar to a fez is part of the uniform of some social clubs. Boxes of cigarettes made from Turkish tobacco, a European favorite, featured a fez to lure consumers. Young gentlemen and even the elderly fell in love with the fez, which they called 'Turk Blue.' James, a character in the novel 'Helen with a High Hand,' by British novelist Arnold Bennett, wears a tasseled 'Turkish cap' in red velvet when he returns home. For a while, the fez became a high fashion item among stylish European men and the photographs of male models wearing a fez were published in fashion magazines. The fez, which all Ottoman gentlemen wore for a century, also excited the attention of Europeans.

Fez hat origin