Is it a bonnet? A great veil? Or a Hat? I needed a covering for my head at the renaissance fair to keep the sun off of me without creating too much warmth. My look is not completely historically accurate, but what I make is historically plausible. When researching medieval hats I was really torn between the functional brim of a cap, the volume of a great veil, and the structure and convenience of a hat, so I combined all three.
This adorable abomination combines the basic shape of a cap and bonnet with its wide brim and adjustable back, with the volume of a great veil piled atop the head, with fabric and permanent construction that would be more commonly used in a fancy hat.
With a veil you have to wrap the thing every time you put it on, and I wanted more convenience than that, so the fabric drape is fixed in it’s heaps and gathers. The hat is lightweight but does an extraordinary job of keeping the sun off of my face thanks to the heavy dark fabric.
It is also quick to take on and off, which was especially functional this past weekend when entering vendor booths at the fair. The hat is a bit like wearing blinders as it completely cuts out my peripheral vision. Was this a feature of medieval bonnets? Were the women who worked in them soothed and focused by the omission of their peripheral site?
I found myself very comfortable walking around outside in a crowd, but upon entering a booth to shop I had to remove the hat immediately in order to scan my surroundings. I’ll be writing a review of the New York Renaissance Festival next, which was the first event to which I wore my new hat.
Shout out to https://handcraftedhistory.blog/, a blog I just discovered where I found several medieval headpieces and tutorials to draw inspiration for this project.
