In King City to Celebrate the Queen

The Jubilee tea and hat show was a success. Met lots of wonderful people, many of whom arrived in hats.  We showed our standard selection of pieces from the Victorian era to the present day with a few 'special' 1960's pieces thrown in. These closely resembled hats worn by Her Majesty herself on official visits to Canada during that decade.
We were also gifted with some fine donations - hats by a former Toronto milliner who marketed her pieces under the name Jo-Anne. Now the unpacking and repacking begins as we prepare for another exhibit of Titanic-era fashions.  

Exhibiting Victorian to 1970's Wedding Gowns at the Royal Henley Today

The selecting, steaming, and packing has all been done and the car is packed for my  wedding gown presentation at the Royal Henley in St. Kitts. Which are my favourite dresses? It's hard to choose, but amongst the group is an 1865 upholstery-weight ivory duchesse, formal bustle gown made in Quebec by Glover, Fry & Co., Dress & Mantle Makers.
The satin empiecement is overlaid with ruches of transparent lisse, the is waist wrapped in pleated silk and finished with a trailing bow. A double bow punctuates the corsage.
The sleeves of ruched lisse are capped with a double ruffle to finish at the wrist with a tapering ruffle to cover the hand. This gown's heavily padded detachable train reaches 6 feet.
The corseted bodice hooks to a skirt, the front and side panels of which are shaped without gathers or pleats. The back panel is tightly bustled at the centre.
This was one of the gowns that inspired and is photographed in my book, Accessorizing the Bride: Vintage Wedding Finery Through the Decades.    

A Tip of the Hat to Fulford Place

Late Edwardian Fashion Plate

The opportunity to meet the Brockville public at the Fulford Place Doors Open event last weekend was just one of the many pleasures associated with executing my Mode in Millinery 1899-1946 installation at the historic mansion.  

Hats off to Pam Brooks and the staff and volunteers there for making it such a pleasant experience. Certainly, the hats selected for the exhibit have found a safe and happy temporary home for the next year within the seven glass cases which have taken up residence in Dorothy's bedroom. A selection of classic gentlemen's toppers look on from the corner.  

I'm looking forward to returning to the scene for our Retrospective Millinery Fashion Show on the 24th.      

60 Hats for 60 Years at Paletta

      


















    60 Hats for 60 Years
     A Royal Millinery Retrospective

• 11:00 A.,M. - 2:00 P.M., June 18, 2012
• Paletta Lakefront Park and Museum
•  4250 Lakeshore Road, Burlington , ON
• Free Admission  

Have hats, will travel

It's been a busy month so far with travelling exhibits of hats, Titanic-era costume, a Shoe & Tell presentation, and my long-awaited 'Mode in Millinery: 1899-1946' installation at Brockville's beautiful Fulford Place Museum, but the hats and bonnets are in place now and I look forward to meeting the public at next week's Doors Open event. (The staff and volunteers at the historic site are a real treat by the way.)

Then on to another round of exhibits, more hat shows, a presentation of 19th and 20th century wedding fashion, and one more Titanic commemoration with my Unsinkable Fashion exhibit. Then I'll be back to Fulford for a ticketed tea and Retrospective Millinery Fashion Show. 

We still have open dates throughout the spring and summer, but we can't be everywhere, so if you're thinking of booking us for a tea or fundraiser it is best to act soon.      

The Mode in Millinery:1899 - 1946

A magnificent willow ostrich trims the brow of this
 black velvet Edwardian widebrim

We're headed down the highway for an installation of hats at the beautiful Fulford Place Museum in Brockville. The Mode in Millinery:1899-1946 will remain in place for a full year. Meet me there May 26th, 2012 for the Fulford Place Doors Open event.

Our Titanic Era Fashions on City Line

Me, on TV without a hat? What was I thinking? If you missed our Titanic era costumes on City Line today, you can see some of them here: http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/1562500341001.000000/cityline-april-20-2012-fashion-friday/ .  You can also Find out more about the Mobile Millinery Museum.

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Titanic Era Hats: Original Photographs from the Mobile Millinery Museum

With so much interest in our current exhibit of Titanic era Fashions,  I decided to post a few images from the period, to prove that everyday women really did wear those hats!

Sisters Mildred and Ella Philip enjoy an afternoon at the beach
with their cousin, Will Lidell

Although these women are very covered up for an afternoon at the beach, note the loose silhouette and daring V-necklines that were in fashion at the time. The hats are variations on the boater style to perfectly complement their sailor collar outfits.

Bride Kitty Hillyer and her sister Jessie wear
the latest in millinery fashion c.1912. 

I've always loved this picture of my great aunts in their Edwardian wedding attire, but it wasn't until I digitalized this image that I was able to recognize the locket around Kitty's neck. It is a gold Victorian piece her mother (my great grandmother) wore on her wedding day. I found it some years ago in my late grandmother's things and now I treasure it as my own. As for the fashions, note the three quarter sleeve, the V-motif bodices and the asymmetry of the wide-brimmed hat.       

My grandmother, Jane Christina  Philip on her wedding day

Oh how I wish I had this hat in my archives. Notice the white ostrich plumes that adorn the crown. In 1912, 'Willow' ostrich was all the rage. These were ostrich feathers which had been elongated by hand-tying extra fronds to the ends of an 'ordinary' ostrich plume.   

And now for those Titanic era dresses...

Evening wear c.1912.

The woman seated in this photograph is Mrs. Florence Clark of Clark's Pork and Beans fame. The woman to her left wears an oval shaped brooch set with seed pearls which was handed down to me. Again, until I digitalized the image, I had not recognized the pin.

What's in your Grannie's attic?

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Unsinkable Fashion

Because we're touring this year with a travelling exhibit of Titanic-era Fashions, entitled Unsinkable Fashion, Costume from the Titanic Era, some people have asked me whether we are still presenting our trademark Retrospective Millinery Fashion Shows, Shoe & Tell presentations and our other vintage fashion shows. The answer is yes!

Unsinkable Fashion is our feature presentation for 2012, a themed exhibit of Edwardian treasures in keeping with this year's centennial observance of the sinking of the Titanic.

The workmanship and detail of the walking suits, tea dresses, and gowns we are touring with, are exquisite. Pictured here is one of my favourites, a mint chiffon gown with glass beads, a lace overlay, Fortuny pleats, and a contrast velvet belt.

Mobile Millinery Museum & Costume Archive 

Unsinkable Fashion is a rare opportunity to view authentic Titanic-era fashions up close and personal. Contact us to book a one-hour presentation for your fundraiser, tea or educational event.

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