HATalk Competition Entry 2022

Carole Curtis

Maker
Carole Curtis

Country
United Kingdom

Name of Hat
El Ultima Tango

Description

My Happy Place is actually a combination of two stages in my life that are special to me.

Beginning with the years of learning the history and steps of the Argentine Tango with my husband, to the culmination of dancing on stage.

My second happy place began when, sadly, no longer dancing, I found the joy of Millinery!

Both Millinery and Tango are similar in that they both aim to tell a story, both require imagination, an understanding of movement and balance, and can show light and dark in their creativity.

The music “Oblivion” was composed in 1982 by Astor Piazzolla, and is my most favourite piece, haunting and atmospheric, it takes me straight back to my happy place of dance.

I decided to use my favourite tango shoe as a hatblock and work from there, bringing together the music of the bandoneon, the fluid movement of the dress with the tango shoe centre stage. The blocked circular base represents the spotlight on the stage.

Materials:

Purple Sinamay
Millinery Wire
Black Buckram 333
PVA Stiffener
Black 100% Wool Felt
Black Pleated Crin
Black Crin tape
Purple Organdie
Black and Grape Satin Bias Binding
Bugle beads and Sequins
Purple silk (For hat base lining and shoe lining)
Music notes ribbon and flower motifs
Millinery Elastic, threads

Techniques:

Hand Blocking for the hat base and the shoe structure (using actual tango shoe as the block)
Wiring the base
Stiffening the base with PVA
Attaching wool felt to the shoe sole
Hand sewing satin bias binding around the shoe
Decorating the shoe with hand stitched flower motifs, bugle beads and crin tape
Making a bandoneon with pleated crin
Hand sewn hat base lining
Hand sewn silk shoe lining
Draping purple organdie around the final structure to represent the dress, attaching sequins
Attach Millinery elastic for headfitting