While attending the grand opening of the Coffeehouse, we enjoyed more perfect Lafayette hat adventures with a surprise ending!
Bespoke help in Colonial Williamsburg for French American Alliance Cockade
Now that I created a French American Alliance cockade, my son wanted to take it to Miss Penny who formed his Lafayette hat to his precise specifications a few weeks ago.
As soon as we walked into the shop, the lady who shaped his hat welcomed my son by name!
I explained that we needed her help tucking the cockade behind the lacing like the CW Lafayette wears his.
The problem was that the lacing was too tight, and we had not the knowledge she had to dismantle and resecure the lacing without destroying it.
Additionally, my son wanted a button (which we brought) at the base of the lacing, like Lafayette.
Lafayette queried by employees about my son’s hat research
She said that the other day Lafayette himself walked into the store, so she asked him if she could look at his hat.
(This is getting contagious. Another CW employee has been analyzing the Lafayette costume because of all our questions!)
After she explained to Lafayette about my son’s visit to the shop a few weeks ago to have the hat shaped exactly like his, Lafayette proclaimed he knew exactly who she was talking about! =)
Different cockade styles for different historical hats
The lady said that Lafayette’s cockade didn’t look anything like the one I had made.
Instead his was black and more of a T shape.
Hmmmm, I told her that he must not have been dressed as Lafayette.
My son explained if he’s not Lafayette, he’s Mann Page.
After pulling up some Prelude to Victory pictures of Lafayette on our camera, we showed them to her.
Ah…she saw what we were talking about.
After redoing the lacing to accommodate the button and cockade, she used some special pins to hold it securely in place.
She also gave him extra pins to my son, in case they would be needed in the future.
The entire fee for this was quite small, which my son paid for. He tried to tip her, but she refused.
We were profoundly grateful for all her patience and help.
Truly a bespoke artist, she was wonderful to work with, listening to my son and being certain of his exact specifications.
She told my son to return for future visits.
Lafayette hat to be sold in Colonial Williamsburg Historic Shops
Also, she told him that they are going to start carrying these Lafayette hats in the store, because of him!
How exciting! Leave it to my son to start something!
For more photos of our day in Colonial Williamsburg, check my Flickr set.
