Sneek peek...



This is a sneek peek in my sketch book! These are my designs for some 1920's head pieces, inspired by the film 'Brideshead Revisited'.

Design Process...


When I start to design a hat I go through several processes. The first is to try and draw the design. This doesn't always work, a hat is so 3 dimensional that it often doesn't translate on paper very well. These scribbles did work although the design changed slightly when the hat was finished!

Winter's on its way...




It has been rather a chilly day in Perth and I thought I might look to the winter delights that await. Fur and wool hats have always been a favourite of mine. I have three vintage fur hats which I have inherited from my mother and Grandmother. The first is a sheep skin hat from Russia bought in the 1970's while my mum was traveling, the next two are fur. However I'm not sure what animals they came from. The second is also from Russia and the third and last was my Grandmothers.

Your Autumn racing guide to hats...

This Autumn there will be absolutely no sinamay, flowers or drab colours (I am guilty of this, i.e. too much black).

Autumn racing trends by Steven Jones:
  • Felt
  • Feathers
  • Velvet ribbons
  • Autumn colours, ex. pink or orange
(Stephen's tips for autumn racing, Grazia, Issue 81, March 15, 2010, p.45)

So with this in mind I aim to create a visual master piece! Now I just need the pink felt!x

Don't miss...Hats:An Anthology


Ooo! I can barelly contain my excitement! I just found out that the Queensland Art Gallery is holding an exhibition of hats. Among them is the famed Schiaparelli shoe hat by Salvador Dali. I have only ever seen drawings of this hat and would love to see it in all its glory. Sadly mundane things like the state of my bank account and lack of a full time job, mean that I'll have to postpone that pleasure for now. Fourtunetly most of the hats exhibited, are from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which means I'll have an excuse to travel when my finances improve!

But for those of you who do have sufficient funds, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, will be at the Queensland Art Gallery, from March 27-June 27. So enjoy the tasty visual delights with my blessing!x

Easter Parade


Irving Berlin's Easter Parade is one of my all time favourite classic films. Staring the legendary Fred Astair and Judy Garland, it is a comic love story starting and ending with the New York 5th Ave Easter Parade. The event still exists, though in recent years numbers have waned.

The title of the film is also the title of the of the last song, with the words; "In your Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it, you'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade"(Irving Berlin, 1948)

So in the tradition of this fabulous event, don a hat this Easter and be the envy of your friends!

Pictured is an Alannah Hill hat I bought a month ago. I just couldn't walk away!

Pin head...














Hats traditionally needed a hat pin to keep them from falling off your head. They also would have made a formidable weapon! Now hat pins are used more for decoration rather than function.

The top pin is 25.5 cm long, it has a white glass bead and dates from the 1800's. The second is 8cm long, has a green bakelite bead and dates from 1940's -1950's. The next two were made by a local small business, called the Pin Ladies. The fifth is the one I designed and had made for my Limpet hat, it has a sterling silver shank, a pearl, two fake pearls (well real ones that size would cost a small fortune) and a black glass bead.

One straw of a kind



















Boaters seem to be everywhere this season and why not when they are so cute! Straw and even cardboard boaters were seen on the catwalks this season.





The first hat pictured is a Marc Jacobs from spring/summer 09. The second is the quirky cardboard creation by Issac Mizrahi s/s 10. The third is a cute hat by Claudette Chapeau s/s 10 and the fourth is an old school boater (1960's) which I have been styling up, the only problem is I can't bring myself to cut this beautiful ribbon till I get the design just right!

Sparkle and shine...


This is another vintage hat made in France probably from the 1950's. It would have been worn originally at the back of the head, however I like to wear it on one side. I just fell in love with this hat. It has come in handy for several costume parties, as well as something different for a night out!

I was snapped wearing it recently at the Curtin University Fashion Grad show, you can see at dropstitch.com.au (Blogger Emma Bergmeier is the genius behind the fabulous fashion spreads you see in X-press Magazine!) x



















The Limpet Hat


I went through a shell faze when it came to designing hats. This one took me months to finish as it is all hand stitched. I used interfacing between two pieces of felt to give it stability. I had the hat pin made to match, by a local silver smith. I wore it along with a dress I made to the 2008 Perth Fashions on the Field.


This year Fashions on the Field is being held on Saturday 17th of October at Ascot, Ascot WA.

Other states:

Myer Mad About the Hat Day, Rosehill NSW
Saturday 12th Sep
Women's Racewear - Heats

Ladies Day, Eagle Farm QLD
Saturday 10th Oct
Women's Racewear - Heats

Feathers, feathers, everywhere and not a bird to sing!



If anyone has watched the latest adaptations of Agatha Christie's, Miss Marple and Hercule Poriot crime novels, I'm sure they wouldn't fail to notice the exquisite hats that adorn the actors. In 'The body in the library' Tara Fitzgerald wears a gorgeous feather hat and I just had to have one. My version is slightly different, but I think has the same 50's feel.

See the website below for a look at the 'The body in the library'.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/library/synopsis.html

As Mad as a Hatter



I wore my vintage Christian Dior to a Mad Hatters party, which brings up an interesting fact. The reason why the term 'as mad as a Hatter' was coined, was because the fumes from the mercuric nitrate used in the felting of fur to make hats, induced madness and eventually death.

The picture is of my Dad's copy of 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll, this copy was printed in 1948 by Richard Clay and Company. The Illustration is by Rene Cloke.

A whiff of nostaliga



There was once a time when one wouldn't be seen dead without a hat. This was when ladies wore white gloves and stockings all year round and rationing was still the norm.

Thank god our parents saw sense so we don't have to wear gloves in 40 degree heat!

However I have a certain amount of nostalgia for the time when wearing a hat was the height of propriety.

This vintage number is a Christian Dior from 1950's - 1960's. It's hard to pin point a date as I haven't seen another one like it. It came from a deceased estate, the lady had lived in France for a time and had a huge collection of beautiful French clothes and accessories. Sadly it is not in the best state, the silk has discoloured. However it still is a joy to wear.
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