Care of Your Hat

How to Love Your Hat – for longer!

What I really enjoy about couture millinery is creating an individual one-off hat or headpiece, especially for you. This is a very personal “bespoke” design service where together we create your very own hat or headpiece.

Once we have completed the inspiration & style process, I begin to make your headpiece. This utilises the ancient skills of couture millinery and using carefully selected couture fabrics, trims & finishes, I carefully crafting a beautiful couture headpiece made to your specific requirements, including your head size, colour, and design preference. This is what’s known as “bespoke” millinery. After the final fitting, the excitement begins as you take delivery of your gorgeous headpiece. Just like the bespoke couture pieces any Ready to Wear items purchased from the Online Store have been made to the same exacting standards.

To help your look after your piece carefully at home and so you can wear it with enjoyment many times over, I have made a few notes to enable you to look after your hat or headpiece. As you know couture millinery hats and headpieces are delicate fragile items that should be treated with care and respect from the moment you receive them, so looking after your piece will ensure you have many happy occasions wearing it. Please remember to handle your headpiece with care as it is fragile and take care especially when removing it from and returning it to the packaging.

During our final fitting appointment, I will have shown you how to position your hat, so when putting your headpiece on please position it carefully. The label is positioned to the back of the hat and the hat is securely positioned dressing your hair to suit – this is especially important if your piece is attached using traditional millinery hat elastic (band). To position your piece, lift your hair up, pulling it through the loop formed by the elastic, and position your headpiece so it sits on your head to the right with the decoration slightly above your right eyebrow. The millinery elastic sits at the nape of your neck just below your hairline. Check the positioning in a mirror.

I use carefully selected luxury couture fabrics, trims and finishes in my headpieces and these materials will not withstand the use of hairspray or perfume in close proximity, causing permanent damage. Your hat is not washable, and it is also unsuitable for wearing in moist/rainy conditions – so please carry an umbrella if rain is forecast – neither is it fire resistant.

Finally, after wearing your headpiece, please ensure it is completely dry, then store it away carefully. At this point, if your hat is made from luxury felt please brush it appropriately to retain its pristine finish, using a light clothes brush and brush it in the direction of the pile after wearing, and before returning it to its storage. Then pack the hat or headpiece back into its box with its delicate edges supported with acid-free tissue, so it is ready for its next outing!

I do hope that these tips will help you and your hat or headpiece enjoy a long and successful relationship!