Where Have All the Hankies Gone?

Hankies seem to be a thing of the past. It’s true I know a few people including me who use cloth hankies, but they do seem to be an endangered species. However, they have a rich and colourful history and were once considered to be a status symbol among those who could afford them. So why don’t we bother with them any more? It seems odd that we obsess over pretty much every other accessory in our handbags but we seem content to pull out a crumpled paper tissue or loo roll from our bags even at weddings. I have personally witnessed a Mother of the Bride dab away her tears of joy with – wait for it – a piece of kitchen roll. This is very odd when one considers how all the other out of sight accessories like the garter and underwear are always beautiful creations, carefully chosen and cherished for years after the happy day. Maybe it’s because we have so many other things to fiddle with these days? Car keys, mobile phones, iPods – none of which would have been in a lady’s bag say 50 years ago. But that shouldn’t be an excuse: it’s no good; we need to get back some of that sophistication.

Paper tissues are, let’s face it, not exactly sophisticated. Just picture it: your looking lovingly into the eyes of your groom, posing for the photographer, a tear wells up in the corner of your eye threatening to smudge the make up that took hours to perfect: what would you prefer to have in your hand when the shutter falls? A paper tissue or a beautiful silk handkerchief?

Baby, Don’t Cry has been designing silk hankies for the past 5 years and they have proved very popular with ladies and gentlemen alike. With 12 designs in the collection there is something for all tastes. Confetti, Daisy, Daisy, Forget-Me-Not and Baby, B Mine are the most popular wedding hankies with One in a Million a huge hit with grooms. One in a Million was such an instant success that designer Georgia Bonham had to create another hank to satisfy the demand from men, who, she says are buying hanks for themselves.

Baby, B Mine is the first hanky to be designed by a guest artist. Charmaine Williamson is a freelance illustrator for the giftware business and is famous for her beautiful botanical watercolours. Based in the Cotswolds, Charmaine’s work is inspired by her beautiful surroundings and nature so was the perfect choice for a guest artist. Baby, B Mine has been popular with men buying Valentine’s Day presents for their wives and fiancees.

The collection recently made an appearance at the first Ludlow Castle Wedding Fayre which was a resounding success and will be held again next year!