Late December in summer, in the tropics, in the worlds driest desert, is not really the sort of time or place where one wants to put on stays and stockings and chemises and petticoats – all the layers of proper 18th Century dress! A swimsuit feels more appropriate. However, I am nothing if not dedicated to showing off the things that i sew, so I put on my new Christmas mitts and one of my new Christmas hats and went down to the beach in a 1750s tropical Christmas English Gown!
I was keen to try out my new bergere hats made from dollar store placemats and see how they looked outside my sewing room. A placemat is a good budget option for a bergere, but doesn’t have any crown, which means it isn’t going to sit on the head like a hat with a crown, and for these earlier decades of the 18th century, where there weren’t masses of hair to cushion one’s headwear, the difference will be noticeable.
The fitting of a placemat bergere will be helped by the placement of your ribbon ties. If you attach them too close to the crown, the hat will sit up on your head like the last pancake at the party. You will want to secure them far enough out from the center that the bergere can fold a little around the face, giving the illusion of a head seated in a crown.
All things considered, I was pleasantly impressed with how well my placemat wore! If you’re wanting a quick and easy seasonal hat that looks brilliant from 100 paces and still pretty all-right up close, a placemat is definitely the way to go! And for a 1750s Christmas English Gown, it gives just the right touch of approachable elegance, don’t you think?
