Road Kill

Rose Holt

United Kingdom

• HATalk Issue 178: Hat of the Month by Sau Fen Chee

My inspiration for ‘Road Kill’ came from San Fen Chee’s ‘Crowning Glory’ (Issue 178). Her beautiful headpiece created from used Nespresso aluminium coffee capsules echoed strongly with the ethical position in which I now find myself. I had made a prototype for my design a couple of years earlier for myself to impress at a country wedding and later at the London Hat Walk. At that time I used expensive leather and carefully chosen feathers. Since then I have questioned not only my sources for materials but the materials themselves. San Fen Chee’s work struck a chord as I started to use and embellish feathers collected on walks and recycled clothes. When I was fortunate enough to be given a whole set of tail feathers from a pheasant unfortunately mown down by a large car and then devoured by a passing fox, I set about refining my design to make use of these beautiful objects which were destined for certain destruction. I also used a beautiful satin blouse to cover the tear drop, long since too holey at the seams to be repaired.

I have always loved the slightly precarious appearance of the teardrop; firstly its shape and the position on the head and the slight tension between this and the unspoken question in the room-how on earth does it stay on?! Coupled with the magnificence of the full set of pheasant feathers I feel my design raises all sorts of talking points and questions both from millinery construction and sustainability points of view.

• Buckram
• Recycled satin
• Buckram covered base
• Set of pheasant tail feathers
• Covered headband
• Plastic comb
• Small metal comb
• Wire

• Blocking buckram on teardrop block and dolly head for base
• Covering buckram bases (teardrop and base)
• Constructing wire frame for feather positioning
• Attaching feathers-stitch and glue
• Covering and attaching headband and combs