Charleston Style Swap--Full of Fashion Folks

Last Thursday I drove down to Charleston, SC, for one of the Style Swaps aMuse: artisanal finery helps sponsor with Jess James. Luckily, I had fashion designer Amanda de Leon riding with me, and we had 3+ hours to talk fashion, fashion, fashion. Charleston has become a hotbed of fashion and style in the last few years, and it is one of my favorite cities for great shopping, history, and food besides. Always thrilled to spend some time there and this was an even more exciting trip due to the anticipation of the first Style Swap there. We weren't disappointed!

Above is a wide view of the fashionistas 'tagging' the items they want to win. There is a frantic rustling of hangers to find the most coveted items of the evening. Of course, one can always tag the designer items that are donated too. More about that later.

Above are Rachel McPherson (Style Swap Develpment), Ayoka Lucas (Style Editor with Charleston Magazine and Creative Director of Charleston Fashion Week), and Jess James (Founder of Style Swap).

On the left is Archie Burkel, Founder and President of The Hat Ladies of Charleston. If you are unfamiliar with the organization, please check them out. They believe in two tenents: you must want to give back to your community, and you must do it in a fashionable hat! Can't beat that, can you? Archie is a lovely lady and I was so pleased she came to the first Charleston Style Swap. We met several years ago and it was so good to see her again. You can't miss her...she ALWAYS wears a hat.

For the most sought after items, those tagged many, many times, the most fair and fun way to choose a winner is through a round of musical chairs. As the music comes up there's a dance line 'round the chairs, everyone having a blast and as the music ends, yes, there's a dash for the winning seat! A hoot to watch...and participate in. The designer items are always hot items!

At right is fashion designer Mary Porter of Mary Porter House of Couture on King Street. She specializes in creating special occasion, bridal, suits, and dresses. She donated a fabulous black dress to the event. One that many wanted...and one took home.

Above is Amanda de Leon, wearing one of her designs, made of screen! It was to die for! On her head is a 1920's inspired metallic lace headband, one of mine.

Ahhh, and here is Amanda's donation for the evening. A slick (literally and figuratively) black swimsuit. Very high-waisted boy pants and a one-shouldered top. Stunning without being too revealing. Loved it! So did the winner!!!

Here's the lovely lady who won the item I donated, a natural sinamay free-form styled headband with yellow, green, orange, and purple coquilles, plus some matching beading.

I very much hope that we will be able to go back to Charleston soon! Besides, they are truly a hat-wearing town. After my heart!

There's Fashion and Then There's Fashion

What a whirlwind weekend of fashion! I spent Saturday morning at the shop--my usual--but the afternoon and evening were spent talking about hats at a local African American church's annual Mother/Daughter tea, and at a local fashion show featuring up and coming designers.

The following pictures are of the fashion show, sponsored by local groovy shop, Edge of Urge and the proprietress, Jessie Williams, a designer in her own right. All was to benefit Dreams, a local organization that provides access to the arts for 'at risk' kids.


Me and my little free-form styled black sinamay headband, embellished with yellow stripped coques and an itty-bitty sprig of vintage yellow veiling.

Ooooooo. Local designer Alexa Castillo did some great fashions for the runway, but I really liked her bikinis. Of course, having gorgeous models with legs up to HERE doesn't hurt either.

Nice touch with the opera gloves!

Alexa on her celebratory walk down the runway.

Above and below are styles created by Jessie Williams, the owner of Edge of Urge. If you are ever in Wilmington you must go there. Great shop! Anything from great clothes, to hip jewelry, shoes, and even some of the best candles, with some of the most unusual scents, that you'll find anywhere. One of my step-daughters swears by them!

I had the privilege of speaking to the ladies of Johnson Chapel in Leland on Saturday afternoon. In honor of Mother's Day they had their annual tea, with hats, gloves, crystal, finger sandwiches, sweet cakes, and some sharp dressed men serving tea.

My presentation was entitled, "Hats Matter, Not Mad Hatters." It focuses on how hats have been been a part of our culture, our social fabric, and how they have and do make a difference to those who wear them. It also includes a tribute to present day milliners and hat-wearing organizations who offer their skills, their time and their money to better the lives of others--all through hats!

I wish I knew the names of these hat-wearing ladies. The lady above is the Mother of the Church at Johnson Chapel. Isn't she elegant?

She didn't want me to take her picture, but I insisted. She made her mother look through her 50 or so hats to find this one she wanted to wear to the tea!

And this is her Mother, beautiful in her hat, pearls, and gloves. A lady at tea....

Reverend Mapson, the chaplain at Johnson Chapel. Thank you, ladies, for a delightful afternoon.

Style Swap--Raleigh--Feather Headpieces

Last week I drove up to Raleigh, NC, to participate in the first Style Swap in that area. Jess James, Style Girl, puts these on and they are incredibly fun. Here in Wilmington they have become so popular it is hard to get in!

What is a 'style swap' you ask? Well, simply put, it is a fun night of swapping clothes and accessories with other fashionistas. You bring 3 items that are still stylish and wearable, and trade them for 3 items someone else dragged out of their closet. Held in upscale bars or lounges, with great music, photographers, and make-up artists mixing it all up with some great munchies and cheap drinks at the bar, all while you find great deals on the racks--anything from coveted designer labels to classy vintage pieces.

Check out Jess' Style Swap website to find out more. We will be in Charleston, SC, on May 14, so if you live in that area, please come by for some recessionista finds. I'm one of the sponsors of the Style Swaps and will be in Charleston to promote aMuse and the hats and headpieces I make.

This is a picture of Rachel McPherson, the Developmental guru behind the Style Swaps. Rachel is wearing one of my hats--a black satin cocktail hat with vintage rhinestone buttons and super vintage Russian veiling. You look beautiful, Rachel!

A pretty trio of Style Ambassadors wearing feather headpieces I've made for them to wear during the Swap. Kinda identifies them as being helpers at the Swap...there to help you find the perfect swap items to take home.

Three more beauties! From left to right they are wearing: a headband of peacock feathers, a free-form sinamay headband wrap embellished with coquilles and beading, and a fascinator of black sewn braid, purple feathers and lavendar Russian veiling.

Thanks for showing off my headpieces to their best advantage ladies!

Kentucky Derby Hats

How many of you attended a Kentucky Derby event? Or were lucky enough to actually go? I made quite a few hats that were worn at Churchill Downs and about as many that went to Derby events--both public and private.

In Wilmington there were at least two public events to attend--the Junior League of Wilmington sponsored an event at Poplar Grove Plantation and there was another at our historic Thalian Hall. I attended the Jr. League event as I had made several hats for that event and besides, it was also a charity event. Having fun, dressing up, and contributing to a special cause...can't beat that.

That's my handsome husband Michael and me in our Derby attire. I not only made my own hat (of course) but Michael's fedora as well. It was a surprise! He has been after me for months to make him a hat. I always say I don't make men's hat. Well, I don't really, but I have just been given (given!) about 16 vintage hatblocks and the vast majority of them are these variations on a pinched crown. So I used one to make Michael's hat and surprised him the day before the Derby!

The lady on the left looked killer in her outfit! She wore this fabulous buttery yellow linen dress and one of the new huge wired brimmed hats I'm seeing everywhere. The cool thing about these hats is that you can bend and bend and re-bend the brims to all kinds of shapes. She has her's pulled up tight in front with a huge lovely burgandy rose. Everyone was telling her how great she looked!

This is one of my customers--Katharine--in her double brimmed parisisal. The bottom brim, and crown, are a rich tobacco and the upper brim is a soft blush tone. I've randomly stitched them together with black thread and fringed the edges. The embellishments were distressed black horsehair, emu feathers, and a sweep of bleached peacock feathers off the back. Huge brim full of goodies.

Another of the hats I made for my friend and customer--Virginia. Her black broad brimmed parisisal was trimmed with a tutu of red tulle (blown all over here) and a knot of handmade white silk roses and buds. Wish I had a better picture of the tutu of tulle as it reached to the edge of the brim and made a very pretty little skirt for the hat.

That's my friend Gloria on the left and Style Girl (and friend) Jess James on the right. Jess was there making pictures for the press. She had on a beautiful vintage lace dress and one of the most spectacular vintage hats I've ever seen of pleated petersham over a buckram base. You can't see it but the entire hat is covered with intricate pleating. Something to aspire to learning.

Katharine and me bumping brims! I'll see if I can find a better picture of my hat. It was a HUGE brimmed sisal straw, of hot pink, with a HUGE bow of heavily veined yellow Russian veiling and and even bigger (9" across) handmade yellow rose. The brim was pulled up on the right back and a drape of the vintage veiling off the left edge of the brim...to my shoulder.

Crowd shot. Really liked the black and white on the left. And isn't the parasol a nice touch?

OK. Here was the winner of the Best Hat Contest.

I hope YOU are finding hat wearing events this Spring. Have a blast!

Hats on Heads--Merlefest 2009

Yee-ha! I just spent a wonderful weekend attending the annual Merlefest Americana music festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Merlefest is a 4 day music event honoring Eddie Merle Watson, son of Doc Watson. They were folk/rockabilly/mountain/swing musicians back in the1960's. Doc is still alive and kickin' it in his 80's. Merle tragically died many years ago and the festival is, as I said, a tribute to him.

While most of the music at the festival is, at least, bluegrass inspired, there are lots of genres represented there. And there are over 6 stages all going at the same time, plus lots of pickers in smaller venues around the campus of Wilkesboro Comminity College. This year's headliner was Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt was there as well. Lots of big name bluegrass folks, like Sam Bush, John Cowan, Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, The Waybacks, The Grascals, The Duhks, Donna the Buffalo, and on and on, are also there.


That's me (above) with my muchly needed sun-hat. At the time this picture was made I had been baking in 80 degree temperatures for about 6 hours! I was wringing wet but having a blast listenting to some of my favorite performers!

The hat was embellished with a stylish 'wad' of hand-dyed sinamay and a couple of waving peacock feathers. The great thing about this hat is that is has a rolled edge, filled with foam, that makes the brim edge just heavy enough that the wind doesn't blow it off your head. It is my favorite casual hat and I've had it for several years. Actually I have two that I rotate.

The next few pictures are a testament to folks finally getting the message that we all need protection from the sun, and wearing a hat is the best way to do that. And while Merlefest is NOT, I repeat NOT, a fashion show, I was pleasantly surprised to see almost everyone with some sort of hat on their head. Granted they are not garden party hats, and most were down-right cas-u-al, really casual, but they were: hats.on.heads....

Kinda like the new ribbon hats I'm seeing out there. Like the one above.

Yes, almost all these pictures are made from behind. Hey, that's because I was sitting with everyone else and we were all facing the stages and the performers.

Lots of cowboy hats! Every color, every shape!!

A sea of hats at the Hillside Stage.

So if you aren't wearing a hat while out in the sun, let this be your official invitation to start. It will save your skin, and maybe your life. No melanoma, ladies....

Hat Show in Chicago--Millinery Education Week

Calling all milliners! You are hereby invited to participate in an annual Hat Show at TLD Designs in Chicago. Put on your Thinking Caps (um, Hats) and create some beauties to exhibit. The show always takes place in October, as an introduction to TLD's Millinery Education Week...actually two weeks if you are counting. Here's the entry information www.tlddesigns.com/entry.htm .



There are entries from those just getting started and some from callused millinery fingers, but it is a great way to have a wide demographic in the Chicago area see your work. So don't be shy about entering. You might just win 'Best in Show'!



The list of classes to be taught at Millinery Education Week hasn't been posted yet, but you'll want to keep a watch at TLD's website www.tlddesigns.com/ or on my website www.hatshatshats.com/classes.htm for updates.

International Millinery Forum Attendees' Hats

Geez, I can be slow about getting some things on this blog. I promised a few weeks ago that I'd post some pictures of some of the hats made in my classes at the International Millinery Forum this past January, in Australia. So, voila! Enjoy!

I taught two sessions of two different classes while there. They were--Retro Hats From Flat Felt Skirting and Fabric Frolic on a Buckram Base. The hat you see above, and the next 10 hats were made in those two sessions.

I learned the flat felt hatmaking technique from my mentor, Miss Styer Collenberger, many years ago. She was an amazing milliner from the hey-days of hat wearing. Anyway, I'll have to tell you more about her later. Great story....

Take note of the structure of these flat felt hats and the great designs these ladies came up with. I was soooo proud of them!

Howz about this camel colored felt with some great feathers as embellisment? Most of the hats you will see here were not embellished as we had a very full day of just getting the hats made, what with the instructions, the design, the execution, and the many, many choices to be made in each step. But I was very impressed with their final designs!

Wow! Can't you just see this with a fabulous 1940's suit? I don't think this one needed any embellishment. Very retro, very cool.

Love the beautiful simplicity of this design. With flat felt you can fashion hats unlike any you make with a traditional capeline or hood.

Beautiful lady, beautiful hat!

Sooooo retro! Love it!

This one makes me smile. Cool custom grey felt head hugger.

These hats were the bomb! The one on the left is very military inspired, especially since it was made in Army green, and the one on the right has self curlyques for that added umpf. I envision stacked heels, smart suits, neat gloves...all set off with 'the hat.' Yeahhhh.

Now this hat, and the one following, were made in the Fabric Frolic on a Buckram Base class. We used many different surface design techniques to cover one-of-a-kind buckram shapes the attendees designed themselves. Snazzy colors, sassy shapes, serious style.

Cocktails, anyone? Wear this little red beauty out on the town and everyone will be buying you a drink. I'm sure of it.

Congratulations to all the attendees of the International Millinery Forum.

Wilmington's Hat Wearing Events

It has been insanely busy the last couple of weeks as Wilmington was getting (and is getting) attired for the hat wearing events of the year for us. Those would be Azalea Festival Garden Party, Easter, and the Jr. League's Mint Julep Jubilee, a Kentucky Derby event including Best Hat Contest (!). I've been making and selling hats as fast as I can!

Above you see two local fashionistas (in my hats!) on their way to a Garden Party after-party. Yes, you heard me right. Wilmington can't get enough of wearing their hats (and partying!) on the big day, so after the big hoopla where everyone who's anyone attends, they break into many, many after-parties to keep the festivities going--yachts, bars, restaurants, private homes.

These particular fashionistas happen to be friends of mine-- designer Amanda deLeon (left) and 'Style Girl' Jess James (right). Jess is the local fashion guru, and is known as 'Style Girl' not only through her newspaper column in the Wilmington Star News, but through many other events she coordinates throughout the year like fashion shows and style swaps. She does some seriously great work in styling fashion shoots too. You can usually check out her latest in Focus on the Coast, another of our local publications. Amanda just had a fabulous introduction into Charleston (SC) Fashion Week as one of the 4 semi-finalists...no easy feat since the competition was fierce. But she was a roaring success! See this page http://www.charlestonfashionweek.com/designers.html for more info on Amanda and Charleston Fashion Week. Congratulations, Amanda!

The above picture is Crystal, one of the members of Wilmington's Junior League. She looked stunning in every hat she tried on! Seriously! My new hat model??

I hosted the League Girl's Night Out recently as they preened for their Mint Julep Jubilee held on May 2--Kentucky Derby Day!! It is going to be a beautiful display of great hats, pretty dresses (and ladies), seersuckered men, Southern buffet, oh, and a horse race to watch.

Try on those hats, girls! There's a style for everyone! I think they had a good time and I know most had never been to a milliner before. Well, we are few and far between. We talked about how to wear a hat properly, colors, embellishments, custom work and time lines for getting a custom hat made. Verrry important!!

I know there are many hat wearing events this Spring all over the country. If ever there is a time to wear a hat it would be to one of these events. But if you don't feel comfortable in hats as a rule you will feel much more comfortable with everyone else wearing one. Yes? But be prepared for some attention...especially from the men as they loooooove a woman in a hat. Don't believe me?? Try it and see!