These poke bonnets have been designed with inspiration from an original bonnet I was lucky enough to be able to examine at a Museum in Fort Langley, B.C.  It has an interesting method of applying the body of the bonnet to the brim, which adds a nice overall dressy look to the “poke”, making it slightly different than most you see today.  With the addition of a ruffle along the edge of the brim, these pokes are great dress-up bonnets. It was believed that the original I saw was the “Sunday Bonnet” of a local farmers wife, as the fabric was a silk, and the bonnet itself had little wear or fading.

 For women with short hair, fabric bonnets are wonderful choices to wear to conceal ones lack of hair.  Other features of the poke bonnet:

1.  Rounded edge to the brim does not give you the “blinder” effect that slat bonnets do.

2.  The tie and casing at the back aids in fitting the bonnet to most head sizes.

3.  The single layer of the body of the bonnet and its curtain makes this cooler to wear than those with double layer construction.

4.  By your choice of fabrics and colors, and the addition of the brim ruffle, you can dress up or down your bonnet making this item truly versatile