normafreda@gmail.com

Yes, you have found the Hat Lady!

Norma Shephard is the founder and director of the Mobile Millinery Museum, a unique travelling museum whose “working hats” have raised funds for diverse causes; from homeless teens in rural Ontario, to cancer research and diagnostic equipment, to a women’s and children’s shelter in Israel.

Shephard’s use of hats, shoes, and vintage garments as cultural story blocks to prompt the telling of tales, myths, and legends transforms audience members into folklore informants, eager to share their own reminiscences.

Recognized as an historian and authority on vintage costume, Shephard has appeared on Canada A.M., CBC Morning, CBC Fresh Air, CBC Ontario Today, CH Morning Live, Breakfast Television, Canadian Living Television, This Morning Live, Main Street, CKCO, The Source, and Neighbour to Neighbour and has been featured in numerous print media.

In 1985 she earned a Canadian Achiever’s Award for entrepreneurship and since founding her museum in 1999, has penned and photographed Accessorizing the Bride; Vintage Wedding Finery Through the Decades), 1000 Hats, In Step With Fashion: 200 Years of Shoe Styles, Lingerie; Two Centuries of Luscious Design, T-shirts; A HIStory & HERitage of Pop Culture, and Dear Harry; The Firsthand Account of a World War I Infantryman.


Saturday, September 14, 2013

Brave Hat

As I travel about speaking to audiences about the history of millinery, I am frequently asked my opinion on the hats which caused such a stir at the royal wedding; primarily those worn by the Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Less of a fuss was made over the blue wonder which perfectly matched Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's dress, yet all three were of the same aesthetic.

Fashion followers have seen verticality in hats before, so what prompted all of the giggles, insults, and—let's face it—outrage over what a handful of women chose to wear on their heads? Whether style gazers are aware of it nor not, renowned millinery designer Philip Treacy has done the near impossible; he has created an exciting millinery innovation not seen in centuries of hat design. 

For royal wedding watchers, Victoria Beckham’s front-and-centre pillbox was the first of these shocking chapeaux to appear. Gasps were heard at the viewing party over which I presided, when cameras captured Beck’s image. Many in attendance expressed their disapproval. But did you see her head on profile? What better style to set off that long, sleek, pony tale!  

And why do you suppose the media continue to discuss Beatrice and Eugenie's brazen brow titivations? Say what you will, they were unforgettable.  

Some hat styles, like the turban, the picture hat, and the pill box, are classics that reappear with slight alterations, while others are of a time only, but rarely is there a true innovation in hat design. Dior’s dish style to complement his 1947 New Look collection is such a one. So is the top hat. The sight of this topper when first seen on the streets of London was so shocking it caused a near riot.

Despite what some reporters would have us believe, fascinators are not new—although the courage to wear them may be. So hat’s off to the genius of Philip Treacy and to the fashion forward celebs and princesses who dare to be different.

To the rest of you, what can I say, but where is Isabella Blow when we need her? The Washington Post got it right. The hats were rediculously fabulous. 






Saturday, September 7, 2013

Hats For Travel and Town Wear

Most hat enthusiasts will tell you that oftentimes, the hat box is as interesting as its contents. Case in point: This mid-twentieth century gentlemen's hat box from the distinguished New York clothier, F. R. Tripler  & Co. was once the repository for a stylish yet inexpensive gentleman's hat for everyday wear, or as a 1950's Tripler & Co. ad suggests, a hat for travel and town wear.   Picture the businessman carrying this back & gold cardstock box with its vinyl strap out of Tripler's downtown store.What a dapper image that conjures; a shopping chic fantasy far distant from our modern day comfort dressing ideals.


                                                        


Friday, September 6, 2013

Hats Off to a New Millinery Season

With stops in Montreal, Old Orchard, Bar Harbour, Halifax, Lunenburg, and Charlottetown this summer, we've shopped the best vintage and are excited to add some great new/old millinery treasures to our hat shows, including a number of pieces custom made for the 1950's television series, La Famille Plouffe. We even managed to snag a turn-of-the-century Salvation Army bonnet. Can you hear the Christmas bells ring?  

We've also been on the lookout for avante garde contemporary pieces like this show-stopper by Maria Curcic. This promises to be a very exciting year for hats.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Gatsby Garments: What They Wore to Roar




If you haven't booked us for our travelling exhibit of 1920's fashions, now is the time. The Mobile Millinery Museum's feature exhibit for 2013/2014 is Gatsby Garments: What They Wore to Roar, a one-hour presentation of authentic flapper fashions representing the flash and dazzle of the jazz age.

·         Fringed and beaded dance dresses

·         Embroidered silk piano shawls and kimonos

          Opera cloaks, furs, & feather boas

·         Fans, fascinators and other fancies 

We can’t be everywhere, so call or email now to book this one-hour interactive presentation for the same great price as our trademark Retrospective Millinery Fashion Shows.

905.220.2762