2021 HATalk Competition Entry

Ellen Patterson

Name of Hat/Headpiece

JINSIN EFFLORESCENCE

Maker

Ellen Patterson

Country

United Arab Emirates

HATalk Archive Inspiration

Crinoline Veil Project by Elena Shvab

Description

A specific image in Step 9 of the Crinoline Veil project sparked my creative process, please refer to it for a visual. It got me thinking about using jinsin to frame the face, in an unconventional way, and fringe the edge to give an illusion of hair… or a mask... or a plant. Verdant green it would be and just like a flourishing specimen, the geometry of the piece would have to mirror Mother Nature’s symmetrical perfection.

It should be noted I didn’t have many materials at hand nor proper millinery stiffeners, having relocated to Dubai and teaching myself millinery, so my inspiration also came from trying to be avant-garde, irrespective of said limitations.

To achieve the dramatic lines I was looking for, I knew it needed to be on a percher headband. Instead of using crinoline as a veil, I wanted it to give a shadow effect, accentuating the jinsin. It was a painstaking process of invisibly stitching the crinoline layers to the jinsin, then draping & stitching onto the percher headband (don’t even get me started on the ostrich spine!), but the result is impeccable.

The Swarovskis and beads were finishing touches, dazzling little accents to catch one’s eye, like hidden treasures. The beaded section at the back conceals the percher & sinamay structure, turning something practical into an aesthetic point of interest.

As challenging as it was to photograph such an organic, unusual shape, there truly isn’t a bad angle to this avant-garde art piece. It makes me think of a burgeoning specimen delicately unfurling, entering the world with so much promise lying ahead.

Hat Making Materials