Making Ruth's Hat
Ruth contacted me last spring to say her daughter was getting married in the summer and that Annalise Harvey, a friend of mine, was making her outfit, along with her daughter’s wedding dress.
I had made a hat for Ruth before so I was looking forward to seeing her ideas. She initially thought she wanted a 1950s style hat which she had admired on the Netflix TV show Marvellous Mrs. Maisel. I didn't have anything in the sudio like it so, I made a mock up of the basic shape for her to see at her first appointment. When she tried it on however, she realised it wasn’t going to work with her planned outfit. It was too period, and she didn't want to be dressed all in 1950s attire. But no matter! After playing around with a few other shapes we opted for a shallow brimmed modern boater which complemented the tailoring of her dress and jacket much better.
I used the same teal lace as her dress to cover the hat and used her gold spotted jacket silk to trim the crown. The sweeping ostrich quill follows the shape of the brim and the bow just seemed right attached at a jaunty angle!
Ruth also wanted a clutch bag to complete the look, so I covered a hard case in gold silk to complement her jacket (we decided that all teal would be too much). I love that Ruth bought some glasses with teal frames to completely match her outfit.
It was a pleasure working with a repeat customer and leasing with Annalise on fabric detailing. You have to agree that Annie worked magic both on Ruth's outfit and the bride's dress!
Ruth says:
’'When my youngest daughter got engaged, I knew immediately that I’d be going back to Holly to make me another hat. Holly worked closely with my dress designer to incorporate the same fabric in her design. We had a couple of appointments to discuss the design and try different shaped hats. We looked at various fabrics, but decided to go with coordinating the fabric to my dress.
The finished hat exceeded my wildest dreams & I felt like a million dollars on the day and had so many wonderful compliments about my outfit. I highly recommend Holly, she’s such a professional & I’ll definitely be going back in the future.''
Collaborating on designs with clients is what I enjoy doing the most so if you have an idea for a special hat or headpiece you would like making please do get in touch!
X Holly
Annalise Harvey http://www.annaliseharvey.com/
Josh Harkon photography https://josharkon.com/