One-of-a-Kind Straw Hats on Etsy Now

All of the following hats are for sale now in our Etsy shop, they're one-of-a-kind and ready to ship! Perfect for weddings, races, or just a jaunt on the town.

'Art of Motion,' a spiral-sewn straw braid mini pillbox with veiling and a large feather sculpture, in golden brown tones.

Another 'Art of Motion,'  similar to the above but in burgundy and cherry red.

'Special Cocktail' in lace-y vintage straw with a multi-colored straw braid bow and curled pheasant feathers.

 

'Silent World Special,' a shocking pink feather sculpture on a base of black coque feathers and straw.

 

A different 'Silent World Special' in brown tones, with a very special configuration of feathers.

 

'Vela Pulsar,' a gold feather puff with emerald green flecks and more green feathers below, and a base of beautiful vintage Italian straw.

Inspiration Everywhere

Living and working in New York City is such a thrill, and the visual delights are many. Here are a few photos of some of my favorite inspiration sightings around town lately.

East Coast Trimming is a candy shop for the eyes.

Wrought iron everything drives me crazy (with happiness).

Souvenirs from a walk in the park.

Egyptian Sphinxes on 38th Street.

We're now on Instagram!

Follow us on Instagram at house_of_nines_design

Summer Tricornes

A new style of straw braid hat was recently listed in our Etsy shop. 'Cavendish Starfish' comes in four colorways, and each one is one of a kind.

Quickies

Here are some quick shots of a few new styles for summer, all available for sale now at The Hat Shop in New York city.


The following two cocktail hats are so brand new, they're as yet unnamed.

The first is hand draped in one-of-a-kind straw with vintage braid trim.

 

Another hand-draped cocktail hat, in vintage Florentine straw.

'Art of Motion' feather sculpture mounted on a sewn straw braid mini pillbox. In black and navy. Coming soon also in red and other colors.

 'Silent World Special', another feather sculpture cocktail hat, this one is mounted on a headband.

 'Gretchen' draped percher picture hat in vintage Florentine straw.

Back in Action - and - Blink and You Might Miss It

I am very happy to announce that my studio in NYC is now fully set up and operational, my Etsy store is back up and running, and I'm busily filling orders.

 Want to buy a hat for the holidays? There's still time- many of the hats in my Etsy store are now in stock and ready to ship. Just ask about availability for the style you're interested in and I'll let you know if it can make it to you in time.

In other news, I was very happy to discontinue the popular 'Sabrina' mini top hat in black the other day. I ran out of the silk veiling that that style requires, making the *last one ever*.

It felt like an accomplishment, as the bolt of veiling had been a pretty big one to start with. 'Sabrina' is still available in brown tones, for now. But when the brown veiling runs out, that one will be discontinued also.

Many of my styles are limited editions, because I use vintage materials that are only available in limited quantities, and when they're gone, they're gone. So, if you have a hat in mind, don't dally or you might miss it forever!

Changes II

Last week, I got a great new job working for Lynne Mackey's studio, she is an incredible theatrical milliner. This bit of fairy magic greets me each time I enter the front door.

Things are going swimmingly. Everyone there is super nice, I enjoy the work and it's all very wonderful.

Then, today, she receives binders full of notes, images, costume sketches, etc. related to the next big job that the studio is going to do. She opens them up to let the rest of us have a look, and... bam.

Together with the superb theatrical costume shop 'Tricorne', Lynne's studio will be re-creating the costumes from Leon Bakst's designs for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes 1921 production of 'Sleeping Beauty'. One of the most amazing artists of the 20th century, designing for the most influential and innovative ballet company of the 20th century (maybe ever), for one of the most iconic pieces in ballet history. This is just a small sampling of Bakst's designs for the production. I recognized them right away, having drooled over everything Ballets Russes during many happy years working at the Museum of Performance and Design.

I almost passed out from the excitement and was beside myself all afternoon.

So. If I do a good job and can keep my cool through the first couple of weeks (trial period), she might let me stay on. And I might get to work on this stuff.

You better believe that I am going to be *very, very good*.