the Mad Duchess
British Millinery in Austin, Texas
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The Mad Diary

A milliner, hat designer and maker's blog based in Austin, Texas. Stories about all things hat making, blocking, materials, and the day-to-day life of a local artisan.

Goodbye But Not Forgotten

Pandamonium

The Bes-Ben installation at the Dallas North Park Mall was taken down on May 15th. When I originally hand-delivered Pandamonium back in February, I didn’t know it would be the last time I would see her. In a twist of fate after losing the competition, Texas Fashion Collection offered to acquisition my piece and archive it as part of their permanent collection. I am beyond words.

An aerial top view of Pandamonium.

The back view of Pandamonium. There are five different pandas in all.

What began as a promise I wanted to keep for one of my instructors in design school, my millinery journey has taken a few twists and turns. Sometimes in life, looking back is all we do when everything forward looks abysmal. Diving deep inside, I pulled out the hidden nugget that saved me: millinery. This craft healed the loss I felt leaving my home and career for a new country, and now a new state. As soon as I touched my first piece of straw, I knew there was a hat maker inside—full of life and whimsy.

Pandamonium is the greatest expression of my happiest self in the past and in the future, and now I get to keep sharing that experience with the world.

MJRbes-ben, pandamonium, humor and design, texas fashion collection