Thank you, Elizabeth W. and Sharon C. - I never realised that wearing a
hat could have so many implications! I wonder if the idea is modern of
"doing honour to the occasion" by wearing a hat, which seems to be
coming back into custom and not just fashion.
When I wore a hat as part of my school uniform, ( yes, a very long time
ago), I would have been grateful for ribbons. In Summer terms, I must
have covered many miles with one hand holding it on my head; Autumn and
Spring terms were not so bad, since our school Winter coats had an
especially wide hood to cover the hat, and that tied with a gathering
string. Thinking back, we must have looked very sweet . . .
There were certainly rules about never being seen out of doors without
your hat - nor your gloves, (brown leather for Winter, white cotton for
Summer). Was there some ettiquette behind glove-wearing too?
Linda
On 19/11/2011 01:25, Elizabeth W wrote:
I actually recall reading a mid 19th century ettiquette manual which
specifically states that when paying a formal call you don't take your
bonnet off unless sincerely pressed to do so by your host/ess as it's
essentially a sign that you are planning on staying for a while (and
formal calls were supposed to be no more than 15-20 minutes). I've
used the analogy of taking your shoes off in a modern context which
would be interpreted as 'making yourself at home'. A bonnet is not
something you whip on and off every time you move from inside to
outside.
Elizabeth
On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 9:36 AM, Sharon Collier<sha...@collierfam.com> wrote:
Interesting. I wear a bonnet at the Dickens Christmas Fair and I often do
not tie my bonnet under the chin, but rather lower down. I do this purely
for practical reasons---it makes the bonnet so much easier to get on and
off. We have to be going from "inside" to "outside", depending on where we
are at the fair and just being able to pop it on without struggling with the
ribbons is so much easier. I will add that mine is balanced so that I do not
"need" the ribbons or a hatpin to keep it on.
Sharon C.
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