My Bergère Hats

With increased interest in my Bergère hats, particularly by those not familiar with my 19th century straw millinery work, I thought it would be helpful to highlight a few aspects.

My straw hats are handsewn, not machine sewn. It takes between 8 and 12 hours for me to hand sew each hat, depending on the straw plait and how my hands are feeling.
My straw hats are shaped as I sew them and hand blocked. Occasionally I use a steam iron. Mass produced hats are heat pressed and cut into shape.
My Bergère hats are wired and sized, which stiffens the crown and brim. That means these hats are not soft and easily bendable, like mass-produced Bergère hats. You can shape the brim if desired, and the wire will hold the shape. You may need a little steam or damp cloth to soften the straw. Mass-produced Bergère hats are not sized or wired.
My Bergère hats react to the wind differently. This is something a friend noticed while wearing one of my Bergère hats at a windy event. She found she had much less difficulty with the wind compared with those wearing mass-produced hats.
My Bergère hats come in a variety of straws plaits. Plait can very in width, thickness, and firmness. I note the type and width in their shop listings. I can also manipulate plait and straw into different arrangements.
Many of my Bergère hats are one of a kind as I can not replicate a previous exactly.