Ayam (cap)

An ayam (아얌) is a Korean traditional winter cap mostly worn by women in the Joseon period (1392 – 1910) for protection against the cold. It is also called aegeom which literally means "covering a forehead" in Korean. There is a historical record which mentions that officials in a low class called iseo (이서, 吏胥) wore ayam in the early Joseon period, so it was a unisex cap. However, it is not clear whether the shape at that time was identical to that of the later period. During the late Joseon period, an ayam was usually worn by female commoners. Especially in the western part of Korea, kisaeng (female Korean entertainers) commonly wore an ayam, and they were also worn as a simple formal headgear.