Customer Question: Shipping Safety

For most people it's summer. But for those of us in the fashion industry, which works a season into the future, it seems like fall already and the holidays are just around the corner. I've been finishing samples for our fall/winter collection, making extras of popular styles to have stock on hand, getting packing materials together, etc., all to be ready for the holiday rush which will be here before you know it. Just received this very pertinent question from Facebook fan Traci: 
Can you tell me how on earth do you box and ship these fabulous hats without damaging the feathers?

 

On most House of Nines Design hats, the feathers are easily removable. I travel often with a box or two of headwear, and have a big collection of hats but not a lot of storage space, so over the years I've had to devise ways to pack hats into the smallest possible space without damage.  When designing a hat, I only permanently affix feathers if it's necessary to the design, so that they may be removed for packing separately.

 

Removed feathers can be laid flat in the box with the hat for shipping or travel. The feathers are less likely to be damaged that way than sticking up out of a hat, and not as large of a box is required, so the hat is smaller to store and cheaper to ship. Except for the largest hats (for which there are not gift boxes large enough), I always double-box for maximum safety. I pack each hat carefully in a gift box padded with tissue, and then put that inside a larger shipping box lined with packing peanuts. I've never had a hat damaged in the mail yet, so it seems to be working! (knock wood)

 

Thanks for the question, Traci. 

Customer Question: Hats in the Rain?

Thanks to Gail for sending in the following question.

"Are your hats ok to wear on a heavy foggy day or in drizzle?"

 I recommend that House of Nines Design hats are not worn unprotected in rainy weather, although fog should be ok as long as it's not depositing a lot of moisture. I often wear a hat out in the rain, but always under an umbrella. A soft ladies' felt hat may not be harmed too much by a short time in light rain, but they're not really designed for it, and the stiffened hats (top hats, etc.) especially may lose their shape if they get really wet.

If you do accidentally get caught in the rain in one of your House of Nines Design hats and it needs a touch-up afterward, I offer a cleaning / refreshing service (prices vary depending on how much work the hat needs), feel free to contact me to discuss. Please note that I do not offer this service for hats made by other milliners, only ones that I made originally.

For a hat made from long-nap 'beaver' felt, if the surface of the hat gets a bit damp but the shape is not damaged, you may want to brush it very gently with a soft hat brush while the fur is still damp, so that it dries in a nice, smooth position. With the hat upright, brush the vertical sides of the crown of the hat from left to right, and the tip (top) of the hat in a counter-clockwise circle. The top of the brim may be brushed in the same direction. Then, flip the hat upside down and brush the underside of the crown in a clockwise circle. Even without getting caught in the rain, if the fur nap of your 'beaver' hat gets mussed and you want to smooth it back down, you can brush it as described above.

On the other hand, hats made of men's felt (which is thicker and sturdier) may fare better in rain than the thinner ladies' felt. If you are looking for a stylish hat to wear in inclement weather, I could make a more weather-protective hat from this type of felt upon request.

Customer Question: How to Store Hats Properly

Thanks very much to my lovely loyal customer Beth Ann, who asked me recently for advice about hat storage. It was a great question, so I thought I'd share it with everybody.

Beth Ann has a growing collection of House of Nines Design hats, and wrote in "I love hatboxes, but they take up so much space. What would you recommend for hat storage in a small apartment? A hatstand? Do they still make those?"

Living in a small apartment, myself, I feel Beth Ann's pain.

Displaying hats temporarily on stands or pegs is ok, but I don't recommend storing hats that way for more than a few days at a time. I have stands to use in my studio, but the hats are only on them for a short time before shipping out. The problem with stands is that they usually have a part that protrudes up into the crown of the hat, so the weight of the whole hat is pulling at the top of the hat from the inside. Fabric or knitted hats can take this treatment without a problem, but felt hats are not designed for it. The weight of the hat should rest on the brim, not on the inside of the crown, or the shape can be distorted. Stands with hard pegs are the worst, but even padded stands can cause damage. Mannequin heads are fantastic, in terms of being the right shape for your hat to rest on, but hats can get faded and dusty from being exposed to sunlight and in the open air for a long time.

All House of Nines Design hats that are purchased from me directly (custom work, or from Etsy, etc.) come with a hat box like this:


But, once you buy several hats, the boxes start piling up... The best way to store hats would be in one hat per box, but that's difficult unless you have enough space. I have the same problem. So, I have several large boxes that I store multiple hats in. They are actually lightweight plastic drum cases, that look like this:



Even though the drum cases are large, they take up less total storage space than if each hat is packed in its own box individually. I like the 18x18x18 inch size, but they come in different sizes, and they're stackable. They also travel well, I've taken mine all over by airplane with no problem. You may be able to find them locally at a music instrument store, or maybe used on craigslist, etc. If you'd like to purchase one through me, contact me for pricing info. You could also search online for large cardboard hat boxes.

I also collect vintage hat and wig boxes, like these:



These usually measure about 13x13x13 inches, and I can fit about two full size hats, or three mini top hats, per box (just for reference). They're readily available online through sites that sell vintage stuff, like Etsy and Ebay. They're stackable, and the handles are nice. They're great for car travel, but not for air travel, as they're not strong enough to survive as checked baggage but they're too big for carry-on. You can get some good deals if you search around, I try to never pay more than $20 per vintage wig box. If you get this kind of box, be really careful not to catch the hats, especially veiling, in the zipper as you close it.

I don't recommend stacking hats without padding between them, or packing hats inside of other hats for storage. Instead, pack your hats one at a time into the box with plain white tissue paper (the gift kind, not Kleenex), so the hats are not touching or denting each other. The best thing is to lightly crumple big sheets of tissue paper, separated so you're only handling one sheet at a time. Scrunch the sheets a bit, but don't smash them so much that you lose the natural stiffness of the paper, as that's what will provide support for the hats. You want to make crinkled sheets, not hard, wadded-up balls, which can also damage the hats. Put down an inch or two of tissue at the bottom of the box, then gently pack each hat in with more tissue so the hat is supported on all sides. Place only one sheet in at a time. I try to have about two inches of tissue between each hat, and an inch or so of tissue padding around the entire inside of the box so the hats don't rub against the box. Pack it *lightly*, not tightly. You want the hats to kind of float in there in a cloud of tissue, so they're not getting dented or smashed, and to only use as much tissue as you actually need, so you're not adding extra weight. If you're packing hats for travel, fill the box to the top with crinkled sheets of tissue so the hats won't bang around inside. And the hats should be sitting upright in the box if possible. Think about placing the sturdiest hats toward the bottom, and more fragile hats toward the top, as the ones at the bottom will have the most weight on top of them. Remove feathers if possible before packing them, so the feathers don't get bent and also because the hats will take up less space that way, and as you pack, be sure that any ribbonwork on the hats is being gently supported by tissue, but not getting crushed or folded in weird ways.

House of Nines Design hats are little sculptures, they're fragile and should be handled and stored carefully. Proper packing and storage can help keep your hats in great shape for many years to come. Thanks again to Beth Ann for sending in this great question. If anybody else has questions about hat care, ask away, I'd be happy to offer any advice I can.