Peaked Cap: for people who don't dare to wear a beret
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
The 'Liguette'
Once upon a time, all berets were fitted with a liguette; the clever internal drawstring that has now become a trademark of Boneterias Auloronesa and Aotearoa.
With the Industrial Revolution, the production of berets became more mechanized too; machines taking over the work that was previously done by hand and, more important, in larger quantities.
To facilitate a liguette and at the same time ensure that the rim of the beret (the head-opening) stays smooth without any wrinkles, the sewing needs to happen within a very short time after the process of felting - something that simply can't be done when producing large numbers by machines. Instead, a symbolic bow was placed on the leather headband (headbands only came into use by the early 1920's) - the reminder of what was once the bow of the liguette, but utterly useless.
My Hawaiian friend Brendon sent me a link to a website that shows how to make the perfect bow. It takes a little practice, but the result is certainly worth it!
What a great post! I wondered about the reason for the vestigial bow on the band. Daan recommended the lignette instead of a band on my new beret and he was right - it is more comfortable.
Daan Kolthoff is a writer, living between the hills of Wellington, New Zealand and, when not writing, meditating or walking the hills, he is usually researching, reading about or ordering berets from around the world.
What a great post! I wondered about the reason for the vestigial bow on the band. Daan recommended the lignette instead of a band on my new beret and he was right - it is more comfortable.
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