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While designing new hats for this season, I decided to approach one of the new styles a little bit differently than usual- rather than beginning to design from some idea for ribbonwork I'd like to try, or some other aspect of trim as the jumping-off point for design, I decided to think about feathers as my primary source of inspiration. I really enjoy working with and manipulating feathers, each type has different properties and behaves differently (depending on the part of the body and the bird it comes from), so it's fun to experiment and see what each type will do under the various forms of stress I put them through. After countless hours spent curling, stripping, ironing, dyeing, bleaching, cutting, and steaming feathers to create different effects, it's still a lot of fun! I think of each of the hats in 'The Bird Series' as a little song of thanks and admiration for the material and its source.
The 'Peacock' mini top hat is made with lush, high-quality fur felt in navy blue, with royal blue and apple green silk veiling, and a ribbon cockade in blue and green tones, all to coordinate with the colors and natural markings of the feathers. A special arrangement of hand-curled Peacock eye and sword feathers sprays out from behind the cockade.
The 'Golden Pheasant' mini top hat is made with lush, velvet-finish black fur felt, copper-colored silk veiling, and a ribbon cockade in camel and chocolate finished with a brass button center, all to coordinate with the colors and natural markings of the feathers. Two long hand-curled Golden Pheasant tail feathers complete the composition.
Another hat shaped using the same blocks as the hats shown above, saucy 'Simone' is made from high-quality fur felt, and trimmed yards and yards of vintage silk tulle veiling wound around the crown, dipping over the brim to make a birdcage veil, and looped up into a large bow at the back. The loops of the bow are held in place with hat pins tipped with honeycomb-shaped finials made to match the hat felt. The 'Simone' is available in black, charcoal gray, and purple plum.
The 'Madge' mini top hat is made from high quality long-nap fur felt, polished to a high shine. Trimmed with drape-y crocheted vintage veiling that gives a bit of peek-a-boo over one eye, and a vintage ribbon band and bow. The bow is large and asymmetrical, finished with a sparkly Art Deco-era antique cut steel buckle. It's shaped using the same blocks as our popular 'Wellington' and 'Sabrina' styles- a classic Mad Hatter style top hat with straight sides and a slightly domed top. Available in black with silver gray trim, or loden with apple green trim.
And finally, the 'Astrid'- another petite mini top hat shaped using the same blocks as our ever-popular 'Una' and 'Belle Epoch' styles. This one is all about the cockade! This jaunty ladies hat is made from lush, high-quality fur felt, with a huge hand-made cockade of vintage ribbon. The cockade is backed with a bow with fringed ends on its tails, and finished with a delicately etched metal button. Hand-curled Silver Pheasant feathers. Available in black with black and ice gray / green trim, or in chocolate brown with trim in brown tones.
All of these styles are available for sale now in our Etsy store.
Wow! Those are really gorgeous.
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