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Stephanie Smith

United Kingdom

• HATalk Issue 166: Hat of the Month by Cynthia Jones-Bryson
• HATalk Issue 170: Millinery Masters – Aage Thaarup

After reading many of the archived HATalk articles the one that really resonated in my mind was the one with Cynthia Jones-Bryson(166). Not only was Cynthia’s hat a complete showstopper but her link to music really inspired me.

I decided to follow Cynthia’s thought process and used an iconic song and music video as the starting point for the colours of my piece. The song I chose was ‘Life on Mars’ by David Bowie. The colours are so striking and unforgettable. The teal blending to the vibrant orange on the white background really stands out and you only have to mention David Bowie and the connection is made.

As you can see, I used the same technique as Cynthia and created the piece from hundreds (approx. 500!) hand-cut, hand-dyed, ombre effect goose feathers.

The shape of my piece is based on the HATalk Magazine logo. By simplifying the ‘hat’ shape on top of the letter ‘H’ I was able to create a bow to form the statement shape. I really wanted to create something out of the norm, something that I don’t usually get to create. I spent a long time trawling through the magazine looking for the shape inspiration when it was right there in front of me! To me it seemed the perfect way to incorporate the magazine as a whole into my design.The handmade feather plume I added towards the end of my design process. I read the article about Aage Thaarup and was interested to learn he created the feather plume on the Queen’s hat for every Trooping of the Colours ceremony. The plume on my piece is inspired by his story and helps combine the work of two very skilled millinery styles.

• Fosshape (white-300)
• 14 gauge millinery wire
• Cotton
• UHU glue
• Goose feathers
• Jaquard acid dyes
• Coque feathers
• Super glue

• Feather padding technique
• Thermoplastics technique
• Wirework