What Would Marie Do? Hats

Dear Antoinette,

I am a little confused about straw hats. Especially about the rules every fashionable lady should follow. I have heard that straw hats should be worn only in the morning before 11 AM. What is confusing me is the information that the etiquette demanded ladies to get up at 11 AM or even later. Can you provide me some piece of information on this?

Thank you,
Georgina

Morning hat, 1787.

This is a great question! The rules of etiquette are certainly perplexing,  (even headache inducing?) which is why it is understandable that someone like Marie Antoinette found herself endlessly frustrated by them. So let's jump in, what would Marie do when she knew it was unfashionable to rise early yet she had a fabulous straw morning hat she wanted to wear?

Even by the mid-nineteenth century straw hats were often paired with morning dresses, so the trend did not soon fade.  I think here we need to look for reasons for ladies to wake earlier, perhaps a planned luncheon or event.  Planning to take a daily walk with friends or entertaining company may be some of the many reasons a fashionable lady would rise early.  These are excellent occasions to pair a morning dress with a morning hat, typically straw. 

In Antoinette's case she often sought refuge from the demands of etiquette at her Petit Trianon where she no doubt would wear a straw hat while admiring her gardens and Petit Hameau.  Here she did not need to stick to the rules so carefully. 

Rose Bertin made beautiful straw hats adorned with ribbons, flowers and even fruit.  These items were often much more affordable than her higher end silk hats, so many fashionable ladies would purchase them.  As we have mentioned, it is better to have one Bertin hat than no Bertin hat!  Just owning one would certainly prompt a lady to rise early enough to wear it about and show it off!  Readers please share your thoughts on this topic!


Answers based on noted behavior of the Queen herself - with room for fun interpretation of course! Want a question answered in light of Antoinette? Send it on to me! Got a question that needs Georgiana's perspective? Send those along to Heather!