Coifs & Bonnets

All of our COIFS or BONNETS are made of fine cotton muslin or organdy fabrics (linen or other fabrics by special request). Bonnets are usually worn under straw or felt hats to protect them from hair oils. Most of these hats do very well for this purpose but we especially like the Joan bonnet.

Some of these bonnets are of an English style. The Round Ears and Long Ears are from the Williamsburg collection and the Manchester from The Gallery of English Costume in the city of that name. The Mary 11 is from a bonnet made for the effigy of Queen Mary 11 in Westminster Abbey. The Brittany, the la Angoumous and the Rochelle are French. The Haus Frau and the Bastine--German....Probably the Dormuse (which comes from research and patterns by Julie Hudson and Neil Redmon), the Joan, the Non-hat and the Mob are very generic and are taken from several collections and written descriptions. As is our newest one, the Watteau.

-HOWEVER-

We've seen some of these bonnets labeled "French, English ????????" It would be impossible to say any one was strictly worn by a certain nationality, and after all we are portraying 'The Colonies'…

By special order we can do a TRICORN (3 side turned up). It has a slightly larger brim and only comes in black, but can be edged with black or white ostrich "marabou" and ,of course, a ribbon cockade.