CRAZY FOR HATS SNEAK PEEK FOR FALL '09!!

    

           I WAS GOING TO SAVE THIS NEW BLOG FOR MY BI-WEEKLY ENTRY, BUT JUST GOT SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW CREATION, THAT I'M SENDING IT OUT A BIT EARLY. HERE ON THE EAST COAST IN THE USA, WE ARE CHEERING ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE TOMORROW! DOESN'T FEEL MUCH LIKE SUMMER WITH ALL THE RAIN WE'VE HAD! BUT, I'M IN FALL '09 MODE, AND REVING UP MY LINE FOR THE SCITUATE ART FESTIVAL IN OCTOBER, AND FOR MY AUSTRALIAN AUDIENCE, WHO ABOUT NOW, ARE PULLING OUT THEIR WINTER CLOTHES. 

I WILL BE DOING A PLANNED ENTRY SHORTLY AFTER THIS ONE ON 

THE "HISTORY OF THE CLOCHE", BUT FOR NOW, WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THE PROCESS OF MAKING THIS NEW CREATION.  

THIS HAT IS 100% WOOL, WHICH I HAVE WASHED AND DRYED TO MAKE THE WOOL FELT INTO A THICKER , MORE HAT-LIKE FABRIC.  IT ALSO MAKES THE FABRIC DENSER, THUS MAKING THE HAT WARMER.  I'VE USED A FLANNEL BACKED LINING, WHICH ADDS STILL MORE WARMTH. 

YOU WILL ALSO SEE THE MUSLIN CROWN THAT I MADE FROM THE PATTERN, WHICH IS THE WORKING MODEL USED TO PERFECT THE SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE HAT. 

AFTER THE HAT IS MADE AND LINED, THE REST OF THE HAT IS ALL HAND-FINISHED.

MY FAVORITE PART OF MILLINERY IS THE FROSTING OF THE HAT.  

THE DECORATION PART OF THE PROCESS IS LIKE EATING CHOCOLATE TO ME!!

THUS, THE TRIMMING FABRIC IS WHAT INSPIRED THIS HAT, AS DOES MOST OF THE HATS I MAKE.  IT'S THE FABRIC THAT SPEAKS TO ME AND IT TELLS ME WHAT IT WANTS TO BECOME.

THE TRIM FABRIC IS A LOVELY, DRAPEY, WOOL BLEND JERSEY IN A GORGEOUS PURPLE, BLACK, AND GRAY ABSTRACT PATTERN, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN 

DE RIGUER IN THE 1920's. 

THERE WILL BE MANY MORE CLOCHES TO COME WITH COUNTLESS 

VARIATIONS AND FABRICATIONS.  

TO VIEW OR PURCHASE ANY OF THE BEGINNINGS OF MY FALL '09 LINE, PLEASE STOP

 IN TO MY ETSY SHOP  AT WWW.ORSINIMEDICI1951.ETSY.COM

AND DON'T FORGET TO STOP BACK HERE FOR "THE HISTORY OF THE CLOCHE"

WHEN I'LL BE UPLOADING PHOTOS OF MY OWN COLLECTION, AND SOME  REPRINTS OF PICTURES FROM HARPERS BAZAAR FROM THE 1930's!!!

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THAT!!

HATS OFF TO YOU!!

ELSIE COLLINS/THISTLECOTTAGE

WWW.ORSINIMEDICI1951.ETSY.COM

CRAZY ABOUT HATS!!

I'M CRAZY ABOUT HATS!!!

I CAN'T SEEM TO STOP COLLECTING THEM!!  AT PRESENT, I OWN ABOUT 75 HATS FROM THE 1920'S UP TO 1960.  THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE PERIOD REPRODUCTIONS I'VE MADE FOR THE THEATER.  

I JUST AQUIRED ANOTHER LITTLE SWEETIE YESTERDAY AT A CHURCH THRIFT SHOP IN GREENVILLE, RI, FOR $1.00!!  IT'S CA. 1950'S,VERY "I LOVE LUCY", IN YELLOW WITH CREAM STRAW.  A JULIETTE STYLE CAP, WITH UNDULATING WAVEY EDGES, AND A REMNANT OF YELLOW POINT D' ESPIRIT NETTING, IN NEED OF SOME RESTORATION. I USE PERIOD TRIMMINGS FOR AUTHENTICITY WHENEVER POSSIBLE. 

I HAVE BEEN AN AVID COLLECTOR OF ALL THINGS VINTAGE FOR 40 YEARS!  YEAH, THAT MAKES ME REALLY OLDE!

MY FAVORITE HAT IS A CA. 1959 BUBBLE TOQUE WITH THE ORIGINAL LABEL INTACT BY CHRISTIAN DIOR, NEW YORK, PARIS, LONDON.  IT IS WORTH ABOUT $225.00, WHICH IN MY OPINION IS PEANUTS, CONSIDERING THAT WE'LL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN.

I'VE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME RESEARCHING CLOCHES AGAIN, FROM THE 20'S, PAYING CLOSER ATTENTION TO TRIMMINGS, AND FABRICS.  I'VE STARTED PERFECTING A PATTERN FOR MY NEXT COLLECTION FOR FALL, OF CLOCHES USING WOOLS,  VELVETS, VELVETEENS, AND TAPESTRY FABRICS, AND LARGE VINTAGE BUCKLES AND BUTTONS FOR TRIMMING.  ALL WILL BE LINED, AND ONE OF A KIND.  THE PERIOD STYLE LININGS WILL BE CO-ORDINATED WITH THE OUTER FABRIC CHOICES FOR REAL PIZZAZZ!! I WILL BE ACCEPTING CUSTOM COLOR ORDERS, AND SPECIFIC HEAD MEASUREMENTS FOR A PROPER FIT.  I'LL BEGIN UPLOADING A SNEAK PREVIEW OF SOME OF THEM IN MY ETSY SHOP THIS WEEK!! STAY TUNED TO WWW.ORSINIMEDICI1951.ETSY.COM!!!!

DID YOU KNOW THAT HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, THE CLOCHE HAS SURVIVIED THE CHANGES OF FASHION FOR OVER 80 YEARS?!!

THE BASIC SHAPE HAS SEEN COUNTLESS EVOLUTIONS, AND VARIATIONS MORE THAN ANY OTHER STYLE OF HAT!  MAYBE THAT'S WHY I LOVE IT SO.  AND IF YOU'RE NOT A HAT PERSON BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU DON'T LOOK GOOD IN HATS, WELL, MAYBE IT'S TIME TO TRY ON A CLOCHE!!

A CLOCHE FRAMES THE FACE IN A VERY FLATTERING WAY, NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE FACE YOU HAVE.  THEY ARE ESPECIALLY BEAUTIFUL WITH A SMALL BRIM, MAYBE SOME VIOLETS ON AUBERGINE VELVET, OR A LARGE ART DECO BUCKLE ON MENSWEAR HERRINGBONE WOOL.  JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE WINTER WHITE WOOL, CREWEL EMBROIDERED LITTLE NUMBER I'M WORKING ON AS WE SPEAK!! 

SO, I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED MY LITTLE MANIA ON "LE HOMAGE DU CHAPEAUX"!!!

DID YOU KNOW THAT COCO CHANEL GOT HER START AS A MILLINER IN PARIS?

MORE ON THAT IN MY NEXT BI-WEEKLY BLOG!

TALK SOON, 

 ELSIE COLLINS/THISTLE COTTAGE STUDIO @

WWW.ORSINIMEDICI1951.ETSY.COM

PS--NEXT TIME I'LL SHOW YOU THAT LITTLE "I LOVE LUCY" SWEETIE IT JUST PICKED UP, AND MAYBE A FEW OTHER TASTY TREATS WHILE I'M AT IT!!

UPDATE: JUNE 15th, THE CHARCOAL AND AUBERGINE SCROLL TAPESTRY CLOCHE  SOLD IN MY ETSY SHOP JUST HOURS AFTER I UPLOADED IT TO A LADY IN AUSTRALIA, WHERE IT IS COMING INTO WINTER!!  IT WAS A ONE OF A KIND, BUT AS I SAID, THERE WILL BE MANY MORE CLOCHES TO COME, SO STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG AND MY ETSY SHOP FOR NEW HAT ALERTS!!

THISTLE COTTAGE STUDIO @

WWW.ORSINIMEDICI1951.ETSY.COM:  ALL THINGS ROMANTIC,  INSPIRED BY THE RENAISSANCE, PERIOD FASHION, VINTAGE, SHABBY CHIC, COTTAGE- STYLE, AND A MORE GENTILE WAY OF LIVING LIFE!!