A Little 1880's Bonnet

Oh, bonnets. So frilly, so silly. I love looking at them. I don't really love wearing them. They're just so frivolous. They don't keep your head warm, they don't shade you from the sun... But I kind of fell in love with the idea of a flowery bonnet for this outfit. 

I got a general idea of what I wanted from fashion plates and photos, and was heavily inspired by this bonnet at the Met. I cut the crown off an old regency-ish bonnet I bought a million years ago, and shaped it. Inspired by the Met bonnet, I padded the edge with a little strip of cotton quilt batting and bound it with cream velvet ribbon, then layered up more brown velvet and silk trim, and finished it off with a heap of looped moire ribbon. I also used the moire for the tie. All the ribbon is either stitched or pinned on. In my stash, I had some vintage millinery flowers. I chose them for the subtle shade of blue, which tied into the blue in the dress. The bonnet is lined in a scrap of fabric from the dress.

To wear it, I pinned it onto my hair with a hat pin. The ribbons that tie are just for show, and are tied loosely. I noticed, in pictures, the bonnets are not worn at the back of the head, but more toward the crown, with quite a bit of hair showing at the rear. Actually, I could have had mine even farther up. Next time!