My last post talked about the history of the fascinator and the opinion that the trend is dead. Perhaps the trend is dead but you can still wear a fascinator. I like to think that trends are about what others wear. If more than 3 people are wearing something, everyone talks about a trend. When they stop, the same people proclaim the trend as dead. But what about the people who don’t follow the crowd? You know, the ones who actually like fascinators. The people who have been wearing them for years and look good in them. It’s with that segment in mind, that I decided to blog about the making of a fascinator.
A client of mine, Alison Minton called me needing something special for the Central Park Conservancy Luncheon. Formally known as the Frederick Law Olmsted (FLO) Awards Luncheon, but casually called the Hat Luncheon, it’s the perfect occasion for the stylish to wear a hat. Alison blogged about the making of her fascinator hat on her blog, so I thought it might be fun to offer the other perspective. The one about making the fascinator.
Before I started making the hat, we discussed what she was looking for. Alison wanted a sinamay, swirls, in a blue-red color. She sent me some images of hats that she liked but left it up to me to design. It was a great vote of confidence.
After looking at the images, I had a general idea of a fascinator concept. I looked through my sinamay color swatches and ordered the yardage in the color that we discussed. Once it arrived, I selected the blocks and went about blocking the sinamay. Once it was dry, I proceeded to wire the edge, sew the bias strips to the edge, create the skull cap and take care of the technical aspects of creating a sinamay fascinator. In the next post, I’ll describe the creative part of the process.
I’ve found that milliners have a love-hate relationship with sinamay. They either love it or despise the product. I absolutely love it. Years before I was a milliner, I ordered a special hat for a wedding in Europe. The hat looked sophisticated, airy and was the perfect combination for an elegant day wedding. I didn’t have a clue what material the hat was made from? It was only later, that I could identify that the hat was made from sinamay.
What about you? Do you like sinamay? Share this post and start a discussion.
