My favorite class by far coming out of Parsons was my millinery class. It was the most unique opportunity to learn how to construct hats by hand. I fought to get into the fall section after it was declared to be filled up online. I took a chance and emailed the teacher to see she could just let one more person in, and to my luck, it worked. A special part about taking this class in NYC was a field trip to go visit the Albrizio Millinery shop to go get a hat made with professional machinery.

I picked out a deep-blue, wool felt with a fedora style block with a wide brim. It was a magical process to watch the steam hit the felt into shape, tied off to keep it in place, and the brim is trimmed into the perfect curve. I was going to wear the most badass hat on the city sidewalk. Except it sat in a box for years waiting for the right time to wear it, which never came.

My wool hat needs a new look.

Fast forward to 2020, in a pandemic summer where I’m faced with a closet to clean out amongst many other fashion-based projects left behind over the years. My hat was up on the list and needed a new trim instead of the grosgrain ribbon that simply just blended into the body with the same color. I found inspiration from a magazine where I saw that someone decorate their hat with a matching blue bandana. How simple and practical!

By this time, I was also using bandanas as face coverings for my more active outings going to the gym and riding my bike. Earlier in the spring I collected a pinkish silk scarf and wanted to repurpose it into a new design. Maybe it would be something to try adding to my hat.

A scarf = face cover and hatband.

I dyed the scarf using a shibori technique. Last winter I took a class to learn how to dye fabric in a traditional Japanese method of using string to manipulate and bind the item to create a resistance style pattern. I combined some remaining black and blue Rit dye to get a deep blue color that would contrast and compliment the pink background.

The result is a more interesting hat.

Now I have a multi-functional band that operates as a stylish tool to compliment my hat and can become a face covering if I needed it in a pinch.

Musings

Posts tagged with millinery

Shibori Tie-Dye Scarf as a Hat Headband