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.
Thanks Brendon
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!
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.
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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