“ A hat is.. the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it’s the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath,…

“ A hat is.. the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it’s the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about.

A piece of magic is a hat.”

(Martha Sliter)

*WARNING* This blog is littered with questionable hat puns!!

This week’s blog is all about HATS with a very special guest post by the talented Chloe Haywood, founder and designer of Hatastic!

Firstly, if you truly want to pull out the stops on your wedding day, it’s all about marvellous millinery and, with Ascot just around the corner, I’ve put together a few cap-tivating (eh? eh?) suggestions for brides who want to be a head and shoulders above the rest. (sorry!)

1. For deluxe glamour and romance, it has to be Yvette Jelf’s bridal range with über-soft feathers and delicate veiling;

2. Super-chic brides pair the Kristina side hat by Katty Janneh with a simple short dress. Check out vintage finds at Juno Says Hello or the couture range by Suzannah;

3. Summon your inner Marlene Dietrich with the bridal top hat, Jemima, by Katherine Elizabeth Millinery. Consider a plain white trouser suit a la Bianca Jagger;

4. For burlesque-style brides, team the fun and frivolous Britain Kitten by Kitty Minx with a 1950’s inspired frock by Andrea Beun;

5. As a super special gift to your best girlfriends, commission a trio of complimenting hats by Yvette Jelfs or, for summer weddings, a Neapolitan sundae mix of Fille by Katty Janneh in dusky pink, latte and cream;

6. Add detachable veiling to any of the pieces with the Timeless birdcage veil or Miss Ella tulle veil by Head Full of Feathers;

7. For creative brides, why not make your own hats at the Mad Hatter’s Couture Parties by Katherine Elizabeth Millinery in conjunction with Benefit cosmetics? Your bridesmaids can wear their own stylish and hand-made creations on your big day;

8. Don’t forget to book the Wonderscene photo booth and request a box full of ridonculous hats for your guests to pose in!

Finally, make sure you check out our shop to see the latest collection by Hatastic! I am absolutely in love with her Vintage Spirit hat and Dice headpiece!

Now, I have raved and raved about the gloriously eclectic and vintage-inspired collection of hats by Hatastic! so I am delighted that the founder, Chloe Haywood, has agreed to tell all about her style and inspiration…

Over to Chloe!

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“I absolutely LOVE hats! Of course my forté is occasion hats, but I thrive on participating at events and watching people transform when they try on my pieces…

Images:

Hollywood Glamour, Flora and Vanities Tricorn from the L’Air Du Temps Collection

When I first started out in 2009, the inevitable patter from people was ‘I don’t do hats’ which was rather disconcerting, but I’m relieved to say that after doing three years of events since, things have definitely changed!

I mainly sell at vintage fairs as my hats are made from vintage hat materials and remnants, and I have friends who sell me their bits and pieces that they can’t sell as the stock is in a poor state, beads missing, or they have jewellery with stones missing etc…so I can gather my stock for my next collection!

But I adore vintage fairs as my designs sit so well with vintage clothing. As mentioned, my hats are made from vintage materials, but I try to give them a timeless feel, so they can be worn now with vintage or modern or vintage inspired designs, but still have a look from the 30s (my favourite era), 40s or 50s.

My current collection Candy however, has more of a 60s / Mod vibe to it. I designed a piece called Banana which was a cap made out of banana yellow straw, and when I exhibited it at Vintage Nation last weekend, a couple of people asked me with great interest, what era it came from! A massive compliment!

The vintage fairs are all about fashion too and they’re always such friendly and fun events. There’s a lot of chitter chatter and appreciation of my pieces which is a great boost. It’s a wonderful way to try out styles and colours.

I do also sell vintage hats that I find that are in excellent condition and perfect to sell on to a happy home. I currently have two saucer hats, one red with blue flowers and one bright yellow, and both have created a lot of buzz when I’ve showed them. I love it when my next bunch of vintage hats arrive, as I never know what I’ll find and what colours or state they’ll be in.

I love finding a hat that is damaged and in disrepair as it means I can save it, and use it to make my next piece. It’s a wonderful experience to unpick the hand sewn ribbon and see how carefully these pieces were made.

Not much has changed in millinery now. They’re still handmade and so inventive…you just need to go to Fenwick in Bond Street on the run up to Ascot, and you’ll be amazed at the beautiful array of designs and colours. I’m excited to say that I have a few pieces there this season too and was thrilled to see how well the area was put together. I have pieces sitting next to Stephen Jones and Piers Atkinson’s designs – such an honour!

Left and Middle: Hats from new Cold Cocktail Collection Winter 2012.

Right: My hat in Fenwick, Bond Street (next to Piers Atkinsons cherries!)

So if you are on the look out for something to finish your outfit for a wedding, party or the races, I would definitely recommend the hat or headpiece as the way to go forward. It gives such confidence and poise and it makes you interesting and memorable. I can say that I always make a friend when I wear hats at events.

There’s almost a respect that you’ve made the effort to really dress up – men love them! Remember that scene when Hugh Grant saw ‘Carrie’ in that amazing black hat, from Four Weddings and a Funeral?

Nuff said…”

***

Thank you so much Chloe! We adore your new collection and can’t wait to feature a few more of your hats in our shop!

And Hat’s it for this week! (couldn’t resist..)

We’re busy now getting ready for the Brighton Vintage Fair on Sunday 24 July so, if you fancy a trip to the seaside, please pop in and pay us a visit!

Have a great week everyone,

Sara

xx