A Time For Bespoke Hats
Hand blocking a crown using hand weaved sinamay straw.
When I first started making hats, one of my friends said “I can’t afford your hats Mamie.” I didn’t know how to respond to that comment because in my mind I was thinking, “I can’t afford to make them any cheaper.” What really goes into making a hat? Let’s say a lot of hand hours are spent on a single process. Before anything is made, the materials like wool or sinamay straw are all hand produced to some degree. I have to ship most of my straw from other countries or suppliers who import. Sourcing is difficult mainly because its limited, and no milliner wants to make identical hats. A cost of supplies might seem small compared to the final hat price. But the cost is in the time it takes to get from zero to completion.
I work pretty slow. Sometime I have to dye my fabrics or stiffen them before I can use them. Then there is the trim, the flowers, etc… Many milliners have to learn trim and flower making techniques to save on costs. A single hand made flower bought from another producer could run $20-100 dollars each depending on how intricate the piece is. So I might spend a whole day making flowers or preparing to make flowers. Sometimes it’s a complete weekend project on its own. It took me a whole day to conjure up, and sculpt the single feathered bird on my cocktail hat. Even the fastest milliner, with no help in the studio can only make one handmade hat a day, and still have time to prep for the next piece. It can take me up to a week to finish a very elaborate hat.
My hand sculpted bird made with 100% wool and real feathers. This was a Sunday project.
It is a labor of love.
Bespoke millinery is not Fast Fashion, but there are many fascinators and cheaply sourced hats available on the market. Please don’t look at those $29 hats, and think they are in the same league as pieces designed and made by a milliner. If we all slowed down and bought less, we could pool our dollars together for quality verses quantity. A beautiful hat could be made to adorn a quality outfit and worn over and over again. This was how it was done in the past when closets and storage wasn’t considered a necessity.
My Black Bird Cocktail hat. Hand sculpted bird, lace beaded covered a hand blocked wool velour hair band, and hand stitched ribbon cockade. This piece is also lined in silk. It’s a sophisticated and timeless piece that can be worn in every season and any special occasion day or evening.