4th year on cast and again because of my love of hoops i'm a merchant
after last years too small dark purple flat cap or looking silly in my tam
i'm trying to come up with a happy medium under 40$ solution
what kind of lower class merchant's wife hat could i wear?
i really just want to buy a nice wool snood and call it a day
Don't do that. How about a Caul or coif or fabric snood with a straw hat. Or even some of the fantastic headdresses that are fabric wrapped and twisted around the head. Oh, what is the name... Ladies? I have a pic of people wearing somewhere.
Some ideas and reasonably priced
http://www.historicenterprises.com/cart.php?m=product_list&c=16
I'm a big fan of the wired brim coif for merchant's wives. There is something delightfully middle class about a white linen coif. Or a bongrace is also a good bet.
http://needleprayse.webcon.net.au/research/images/nonesuch_palace_english_women.jpg
The lady between the two women in tall hats is wearing a bongrace.
Actually any of the sorts of hats in this picture would be suitable to someone of your station, given the right materials.
The twisted Turbanesq thing that Syrilla references is called a "headrail", I think. I wish there was a pocket "Tudor Tailor" for me to drag to work for reference purposes.
Thanks for all the replies - Do you mean the kind of coif Heather of VMS sells? I didn't see a bongrace do you know of a seller?
Honestly, I would get a friend who can sew to make you one. A coif is a super easy project. I hand sewed the one I wear under my French Hood in an evening.
(Seen here, sort of...its the white part of the French Hood. http://mirandafern.com/blog/?p=206 )
Lynn McMaster makes a great pattern $5 for a coif (she calls it a biggins). The Tudor Tailor has a great pattern for a bongrace.
Thanks for all the pictures but I really wanted to see pictures of cast / playtron's merchant class headwear
I'm now leaning towards making a new flat cap in a H/A color
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/syrilla/headdress.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/syrilla/wflemish.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/syrilla/2ladies.jpg)
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/syrilla/2gown.jpg)
Various ladies wearing headdresses.
Thank you that was exactly what I needed to see :)
Glad to be of service.