An Edwardian Ruche-Trimmed Hat, part 2: Pictures

Oh, seven or so months after I finished and wore this straw hat to tea with our society at Flag Fork Herb Farm, here finally are pictures. Over a year and a half ago I'd started the hat and steamed it into shape, and had begun the laborious task of pinking and then ruching cream-colored dupioni silk to the entire underside of the hat brim and a bit of the top.

By the time the hat was finished, the shape had worn out and the hat brim flopped again. If you want the shape to be stable, you should store your hat in its own box, the brim sewn, if necessary, into the correct position. Instead, I had put the hat in a closet and eventually other hats came to rest on top.

Here are pictures of the results. At the tea we decided we preferred the flat brim to the original Cavalier-tilt version planned.

Here is the hat underside.
















And a detail of the silk ruching.


















Finally, the hat as worn to tea. Since the hat design is meant to evoke 1910-1910, the era of enormous, grand, over-the-top hats, the era which also saw a pencil-thin dress silhouette to balance the wide toppers, I wore a narrow-lined dress. However, since I'd had those twin boys two months before, the silhouette was less slim and appealing than planned. Ah well.

Note that had I worn the hat in period fashion, it would have sat tilted more forward by far than it does and the underside would not show nearly as much. It would also have been trimmed with several long, full ostrich plumes.