Creating statement millinery headpieces for the races
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR LADIES DAY HAT OR STATEMENT HEADWEAR INSPIRATION?
FROM ROYAL ASCOT LADIES DAY TO THE MELBOURNE GOLD CUP,
NEWMARKET LADIES DAY TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY,
OR AINTREE LADIES DAY TO THE DUBAI WORLD CUP…
I’VE CREATED FOR LADIES ATTENDING ALL THE ABOVE RACE MEETINGS, AND MANY MORE BESIDES.
A slightly more indulgent post today, though I hope it helps you get to know me, what makes me tick, and maybe inspires you to trust me with a commission for your dream creation.
I love creating for clients, brides, mothers of the bride and groom, wedding guests and race goers alike. I love finding out about them and their specials days, what they will be wearing, understanding their personalities enough to ensure that what I am creating for them is going to be the perfect fit. This sort of work is hugely satisfying, knowing you’ve made someone happy, may have helped with confidence and realised the design in their imagination.
This possibly should be enough but there’s always are little nagging voice at the back of the creative brain that wants to play and work for myself too. Working as a creative every now and then I need an opportunity to let my hair down and experiment, with new materials, shapes, or techniques. It’s a chance to grow and develop and test myself. It pushes me outside of my comfort zone and the results may vary in success but they are usually well received (or end up dismantled and recycled). Creating for race going, fashion loving ladies is the perfect excuse to create.
Often times these experiments lead to a more restrained iteration appearing in my collections, ideas come from so many different places, through art, fashion, theatre and cinema from the late 1890’s to the 1950’s (wildly diverse eras though they are that fall in that period) tend to be my inspiration triggers. I’ve always been a bit of a contradiction. I’m shy but attracted to the theatrical and statement making. I’m drawn towards classic and traditional styles but then also the really abstract and wow.
Sometimes these pieces are in response to a request from a client but with a brief that is pretty loose and gives me fairly free reign to concoct to my hearts delight. I love these clients, though I’m not sure I could handle every client being like that, I’m frightened the ideas might dry up. This “playtime” keeps work fresh and helps me to continue loving what I do, which means not just me but all my clients benefit too, so win, win.
I’m in danger of waffling here though I did warn you this one may be a little more self indulgent that normal. Today I’d like to share some recent(ish) creations that fit this bill. I’ll be waving good bye to one of them next week though I need to create myself a similar replacement ready for my hire collection. I’m gradually building a collection of such pieces for when I formally launch the hire element of my business, though it has functioned unofficially for several years now.
As a general rule of thumb, I’ve found that when my husband “Hates” something rather than being oblivious to it, (he’s very accustomed to lots of strange things happening around him) I’m on to a winner. Each time I’ve posted such a piece I’ve had so much love and positive feedback and enquiries about it.
I THINK IT’S BETTER TO CREATE A STATEMENT THAT PROVOKES A REACTION, THAT CAN BE LOVED OR LOATHED, RATHER THAN SOMETHING SAFER, NICE BUT NOT MEMORABLE. DO YOU AGREE?
One last thing, again I’m being a contrary Mary. I love creating statement pieces but not if they stray in to novelty. I’m not sure if there’s a definition for where this invisible line is drawn but in my head I know where I see it. For me, a design needs to be coherent and “work”, not just be the biggest, the loudest, a collection of materials in matching colours piled together or the gimmicky type often witnessed at Ascot, such as a giant cup or tea or sandwich. It’s just a personal thing but that’s how I tick.
Are you brave enough to make a statement?
Which of these pieces would you wear?
Until next time!
Harriet x