Pre 1900 Tam's

[Troglodyte]

What would happen to the shape of a tam if it was worn daily where one would sweat in it or be in rain and snow?

Edmund Burt answers this in one of his 'Letters' from Scotland in the 1720s.

He says that no effort is made to get out from the weather, even though it may be only a couple of paces to get under cover, and so the bonnet and plaid are continually wet.

He describes how, once the bonnet is too water-logged for the wearer's comfort, it is taken off, wrung out like a dish-cloth, and placed back on the head.

Speaking from experience, I can say that the bonnet will sustain several hours' drizzle without letting water through - which is also true of a quality tweed jacket, and neither show much in the way of effect once dry again. I say 'much' as one result of spending time jacketed and bonneted in the rain, is that the fit tends to get better. The fibres go through a natural form-fitting process.

So don't wory about the weather, in other words.

But it's a good idea to let the garments dry throughly before putting them back into the wardrobe.