There was also a very nice exhibit next door to the JPG exhibit called African Headwear: Beyond Fashion.  This show is also very worth seeing and ties in to the JPG show since he is very influenced by non-European cultures.

I have to say that the JPG exhibit was one of the best exhibits of any kind that I’ve ever seen, anywhere, ever.  It was so creative, so inspiring, so beautiful, and so odd that I literally had to push back tears at one point.  I resisted the urge many times to jump up and down with glee, and I’m surprised I didn’t pee in my pants from excitement.  I really had to work not to let my exuberance become obnoxiousness (I asked my friends to tell me if I was annoying them, they said I wasn’t.  Most of them were pretty excited about it, too.)  His headwear is amazing, of course, and very prevalent.  If I had seen this show when I was in art school, I probably would have learned millinery back then.

The museum advises that you allow two hours to see the show, but I could’ve stayed there for four hours if we hadn’t had lunch planned after the show.  I will be going back to see it again, though.

Whether you like his designs or not, JPG’s creations are sculpture come to life and when they’re not thought-provoking, they’re simply provoking, which I find wonderful.  He is quintessentially French (so I am biased there, being a bit of a Francophile) and his quirky sense of humor comes across loud and clear.  He’s not subtle very often and some critics complain about that; I think there’s a place for subtlety and a place for outrageous, unfettered joy in creation.  JPG fits into the latter.  I asked the lady at the information desk what JPG was like when he was here in Dallas right before the show opened – I asked specifically if he was fun – and she said he was very fun, funny, genuine and very nice.  How refreshing. 

The way they display the show is humorous and innovative and worth seeing all by itself.

Go see the show while it’s up.  Go see it twice.  Save up for the $125 catalog (which is really a huge coffee-table book).  You will be glad you did.

And now, since only the press were allowed to take photos, here are some pilfered pics from the show.  I haven’t found images yet of two of my favorites, but when I do I’ll try to remember to post them.

this is a mermaid with walkers - I love this piece! he takes something many people look down upon and reveals its inner beauty

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What is it about Hats?

For a short documentary (around 30 minutes), it’s $20 selling price seems steep (I think the price was closer to $30 when I got mine….)  But, considering the unusual subject matter and the fact that it’s an indie documentary, I still think it was worth it.

It features many prominent milliners and members of the fashion industry from around the United States, including:

• Ian Dellar
• Truly Biggs
• Nicole LeBlanc
• Lisa Farrell
• Loreta Corsetti
• Blythe Savage
• Kate Pernia
• Myra Walker
• Stephanie Davis

The basic format is broken into sections such as “How to Wear a Hat” where they interview people on their opinions about attitude and placement on the head.

Some of my favorite quotes/concepts from the movie:

• “There is a hat for you.  You just have to find it…and then you have to wear it.”
• “You have to wear the hat, the hat cannot wear you.  You dn’t want to look too conscious about wearing a hat.”
• “Caps are not hats!”  (I love that one)
• When you’re wearing a hat “you look like you are somebody that other people want to know.”
• “Peoples’ posture changes when wearing a hat.”
• “A woman that can wear a hat, usually, is an interesting woman.”
• “My advice to anybody, if you’re single, is to wear a hat!”

The three main things I wish the producers had done differently:

1. I wish it were longer.  (This one is obvious and I’m sure there were reasons it wasn’t longer, probably budget-related.)
2. I wish there was more technical info in it.  It would be lovely to have a movie that really goes into how hats are designed and made, and I think it would give more people an appreciation for how technical and how difficult millinery can be.  Maybe they’ll consider a sequel to address this side of millinery.
3. Interview more men and address that population equally.  The movie almost exclusively featured women, but more men are wearing hats now.  The movie was released in 2006 – maybe it’s time for that sequel. 

Overall, I think if you love hats you’ll find this movie entertaining and sometimes insightful.  Let me know what you think about it if you ever see it!

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One of the catalogs is from Milliners Supply Company here in Dallas, Texas and the others are from Louie Miller Company in Chicago, Illinois.  The dates range from 1960-1966.

Take a peek at the treasures that I found in these catalogs:

cover of Louie Miller Company catalog, 1966

page with "Fancy (Cape) Net Frames"

The vast majority of pre-blocked hats were buckram frames just waiting to be covered.  I just thought the cape net frames were more interesting since it seems harder to find cape net in today’s millinery.  I sure would love to have seen the finished, covered hats!

more Fancy (Cape) Net Frames - note the comment that these are "Primarily made for solid flower hats. A must for your spring wardrobe." It's hard to believe how many solid flower hats were sold in the 1960s!"

fine Beaver Felt hats, pre-blocked and ready to trim

Note the cost of the beaver hats — $8.50 in 1966 is roughly $58.11 today.  My, how times have changed!  I suspect, though, that the low price was influenced by the fact that these were synthetic beaver as opposed to real beaver fur.  What do you think?

#6318 and #6327 are my favorites!

My goodness!  A block that cost $22.50 in 1966 would be roughly $150 today.  That’s actually quite a bargain for both a crown and brim together.

The following two photos are the front and back of a flyer that was stuffed in the middle of one of the catalogs.  Apparently, one could learn millinery by mail order in the 1960s.

front of flyer

back of flyer

I think it’s so sweet that they advertise why the hats created by students of the Academy of Millinery Design are worth a premium.  Perhaps the students were a bit ahead of their time, ready and waiting for the Conceptual Age to dawn. 

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After sitting on my bookshelf for at least 3 years, my copy of A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink found its way into my hands and heart.  (I must admit that my sister is responsible both for giving me the book and then hounding me until I read it.  What a great sister.  Thank you, Julie!)

The reason she encouraged me (more than once) to read the book?

Because I am a whole-brained person who has found support for my viewpoint to be quite lacking, to say the least, for most of my life.

Written in 2005, the premise of the book is that right-brained and whole-brained people — people who are equal parts left- and right-brained — have been widely disenfranchised and ignored by Western society largely because of a bias on the part of science in favor of left-brained activities.  This scientific viewpoint has failed to recognize that every human uses both parts of the brain to function and each brain hemisphere has its own wisdom to impart, even the right hemisphere.

Dan Pink (about whom I’ve blogged before) has made a very compelling case for the theory that we are entering a new Conceptual Age in which whole-brained people will rule the economy.  We had the Agricultural Age, the Industrial Age, the Information Age, and now, according to Pink, we have already entered the forefront of the Conceptual Age and those who do not adapt will fall behind, possibly for good.

While that last bit is a teensy bit frightening even to me, a whole-brained thinker, the overall concept is fascinating and hopeful.

Pink is not arguing that left-brained thinkers should be banished, just that the time is right for creative types to step to the plate and get our turn at bat (now I’ve got the theme song from The Jeffersons TV show stuck in my head….)  He suggests that the changing global economy has created the primary factors of Abundance, Asia, and Automation which are driving the onset of the Conceptual Age.  The book even provides suggestions for ways to tap into your potential and find a spot for yourself in the new Age.  (Btw, I emailed Dan and asked him if he still stands by his theory six years after publishing the book and he wrote back saying that yes, despite the bad economy, he still sees things headed in the Conceptual direction.)

It’s fascinating stuff and one which, if you’re like me and have been called “weird” your whole life just because you see things a little differently, you should read.

Once you do, you may find yourself referring back to it frequently and buying copies for loved ones.  I also plan to buy an extra copy (used, from Half.com, to be eco-friendly) and donate it to my local library (a favorite hobby of mine).

Yes, the book is that good.  Read it today to explore a whole new horizon!

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Millinerium hat on Lisa Petty at Mad Hatter's Tea, Dallas Arboretum, April 2011

You can see the full slideshow here.  Enjoy!

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In between all this marketing madness, you might have heard of a little something called a Royal Wedding which I was thrilled to get up at 4am to watch and thought the whole spectacle was so much fun.  (I predicted that I would cry the whole way through, but it was all so sensible that I just teared up a few times.  Happy for William and Kate, such a wonderful couple.)  I still haven’t made it all the way through the DVR I made of the wedding – I’ve been pausing every time there’s a hat so I can really examine it.

No doubt you’ve seen all the photos of some of the more stylish hats, but of course the hats that stood out most were the not-so-stylish… or at least the controversial.

None of the hats were more controversial than Princess Beatrice’s hat by Philip Treacy, Irish master milliner and the most well-known milliner on the planet right now.  (Rumor has it that his atelier made more than 30 of the hats at the Royal Wedding!)

I think it’s charming that Bea decided to auction the hat off for charity (it garnered a whopping $130,000 on Ebay!), but then again, how could she ever wear such a controversial hat again without getting a ton of flack for it? 

Before the wedding itself had even begun, cyberspace was abuzz about Princess Bea’s chapeau and plenty of comments are still flying around, especially in millinery circles.  From comments I’ve read, I’d say the millinery world was about 50/50 split between like/love the hat versus can’t stand it.  I personally liked it.  Sure, it was a bit on the crazy side, but I love stepping out of the fashion comfort zones and ruffling feathers from time to time.

When I saw this article and saw Treacy’s initial sketch of the hat, I did find it extremely odd that he changed the scale (size) of the hat as dramatically as he did.  I mean, the hat went from being a reasonable cocktail-sized hat to a monstrous octopus rising out of the ocean to swallow her head!  While I find the final hat charming, I would love to hear from Treacy why the hat changed so much between concept and finished product.  Did he see her dress and worry that the hat would be overlooked in favor of that busy collar?  Did the Princess demand a more attention-grabbing topper?  Some have speculated that she wanted to make sure she was very visible sitting behind the Queen.  Others think she planned it all along to garner more notoriety – and thereby more funds – for her charity auction.

What do you think?

Treacy's initial sketch vs. the finished product

What was wrong about her outfit? Everything except the infamous hat!

May I present my arguments in support of this statement:

1.  Her makeup looked like Uncle Fester: 

2.  Her dress was a very unflattering color both to her hair and her skin tone.

3.  The dress was lovely on its own, but next to the hat, the neckline of the dress was way too busy and competed for attention with the hat.  This is generally a big no-no in millinery.  If you’re going to wear a showstopping hat, you are advised to tone down all other accessories and to pick an outfit that doesn’t cause the ensemble to send epileptics into fits of seizure.

Hats are different from any other accessory because they are the first thing one sees when looking at the wearer, as they are the closest thing to the face.  Truly, no hard and fast rules exist in millinery, in fashion, or in art in general.  But there are some guidelines that will make the sailing smoother, especially if you’re unsure how to navigate the waters.  The pointers above should help if you find yourself frozen in fear of becoming the next Princess Beatrice.  At the end of the day, though, wear what makes you feel attractive.  Take a cue from Sweet Bea:  wear it with confidence and a sense of humor and it won’t matter what others think of your ensemble.

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John Galliano, British designer with his own label in addition to working for both Givenchy and Dior, was fired in March after a drunken outburst in a Paris bar during which Galliano hurled racist and anti-semitic comments to patrons of the bar.  Apparently, this was not the first outburst of this nature from Mr. Galliano.

The whole incident makes me incredibly sad and conflicted, like when a kid’s admiration for a personal hero is demolished upon learning a disappointing and embarrassing revelation about that hero.

It reminds me of a discussion I had in college with my sculpture professor about separating the artist from their art.  I had mentioned my displeasure at Picasso’s art in connection with his abhorrent treatment of women; my professor questioned my rationale but never offered his own perspective (he was a big fan of the Socratic Method).  I am better able to separate the artist from their art now, but it still stains my enjoyment of the art when the artist displays such an odious personality flaw.  I suppose it’s a very human trait that makes us want to like those who produce the things that we enjoy.  Or maybe it’s because I’m a woman and we’re raised to act nice and expect everyone else to follow that code.

Either way, it’s frustrating to me that someone as talented as Galliano would not only hold such repugnant personal beliefs, but then would loudly vocalize those beliefs in public – more than once!  I guess it’s good that at least we know he feels that way, rather than him hiding his prejudices….

So, I wanted to throw this out there to see how y’all feel about it.  Do you feel good about Dior since it fired Galliano?  Does Galliano’s behavior disgust you?  Should it matter what a designer’s personal beliefs are?  Do you separate business from politics?  Or do you show your support with your purse, boycotting when something upsets you?

Would love to hear from you if you’ve got any comments.  Below are some of the tragically beautiful designs from Mr. Galliano’s collection upon the eve of his dismissal from Dior.

5/26/2011 – I completely forgot to credit the fabulous Mr. Stephen Jones with doing the lovely hats in Mr. Galliano’s line!  If you haven’t already, check out Stephen Jones’ wonderful world of millinery madcaperie!  (Yes, I just made that word up.)

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Producing eco-friendly headwear provides special inspiration which has led to wonderful new creations, as well as challenges that have, on occasion, made me question the wisdom of attempting to produce such a high-maintenance line.  However, my giddy feelings of “bonus points” when I do right by the environment spur me to continue on this path and figure it out as I go, rather than needing to know up front how it will all work.  I just have to trust that it will work out, one way or another.

Last week I stumbled on Gretchen Jones Fall/Winter 2011 line.  Gretchen was the winner of last season’s Project Runway and is an eco-conscious fashion designer.  Gretchen’s take on environmentalism in this Ecouterre article impressed me as it echoes similar sentiments which I’ve expressed before.  I thought some of you might want to read her stance on eco-fashion, especially since sustainability continues to grow as a trend in fashion and many other fields.  (Read the captions beneath the Ecouterre photo gallery for Gretchen’s statements.)

I’ve been saying for a while that environmentalism isn’t black and white – it’s usually a “lesser of two evils” situation where you must make your best decision (hopefully an informed one) and then trust that it will work out (there I go again).  The deeper you get into the environmental movement, the more you learn that everything really is connected and impacts everything else.  The fair trade/fair wage movement is tied to environmentalism for this reason, as are the slow food and slow fashion movements.  I’ve been particularly interested in the role of sustainability in the Arts, and, so far, I haven’t really come up with many good answers.  (It’s also been hard to find other artists to engage in the topic.)  Above all else, I’ve learned that in order to be a good environmental steward, you actually have to let go of perfectionism.  This seems paradoxical but it’s true; the more we indulge perfectionist tendencies among eco-awareness, the less flexible and more militant we’re likely to become.  This goes quite contrary to what nature herself does (go with the flow) and it’s a good principle to learn from nature.

Millinerium Eco-friendly repurposed hat with repurposed scarf trim and repurposed silk flower (with repurposed beadwork center)

I do my best to remain mindful of ways to incorporate eco-friendly elements into my headwear and I feel especially good when I’m able to produce a hat that is almost completely sustainable.  At the end of the day, if I’ve done the best I can to stay eco-friendly while still nurturing my creative vision, I’d say I’ve done pretty well.

Millinerium Eco-friendly cocktail hat using repurposed horsehair crin & vintage faux pearls

Earth Day 2011 approaches once again (April 22).  As the media begins its yearly Earth Day blitz, take a moment to think about how these issues impact you in your work life and at home.  It’s a difficult subject when you get down to it, but it feels good at least to be trying to make a positive difference.

I would love to hear your thoughts – even your rants if you’ve got ‘em! – about environmentalism.  I may agree with you, I may not, but simply starting the discussion is truly a great beginning.

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Arturo has a great balance of classic and avant garde, all of which I love.  I’m sure I’ll draw inspiration from some of his shapes and techniques in my own works at some point.

Every time I encounter avant garde fashion it makes me happy because it reminds me that when crazy designs spring from my mind – designs which I don’t always understand yet feel like I must make – they do have a place in fashion and can find a home with the right hat lover!

Hope you enjoy theses great hats as much as I do!

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Back in December I participated in an Eco Chic Fashion Show at the Elements by Westin Hotel for the group Dallas Greendrinks.  You can see photos of the models in Millinerium cocktail hats and clothing by Sarah Jones of Status Clothing on my Facebook page here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=343843515118&aid=313522

So, Brandon Morton from the University of North Texas (UNT) Sustainability Department attended that fashion show and, remembering my hats, suggested that I participate in a workshop hosted by Lesli Robertson with the Fibers Department at UNT featuring BarkCloth.  Lesli graciously invited Sarah and I to participate, along with a few other designers and several students.  The workshop was sponsored by the representatives of BarkCloth Europe, Mary Barongo and Oliver Heintz, who were both very nice, knowledgeable people.  UNT just opened an exhibit of art pieces made using BarkCloth which runs from March 1-March 26, 2011.

The goal of the workshop was to introduce us to the product and then push the boundaries of exploration by playing with the material and seeing what we could do with it.  UNT selected people of varying backgrounds who would each bring fresh perspectives to the workshop – they had me, a milliner; Emily, a designer of products for interiors based out of London; Sarah, an apparel designer; and numerous fiber and fashion students.

It was really interesting to see what the product can do.  I kept remarking how similar the BarkCloth felt to very thin leather.  It is surprisingly strong when stretched along the grain; when stretched against the grain* it tends to fray and tear (it is stronger overall when wet).  *Technically, BarkCloth doesn’t have a grain in the true sense.  It is created by taking a layer of bark and beating it to compress the fibers, then it’s hand-treated with non-chemical agents to set the fibers.  It actually has similar consistency and characteristics of thin beef jerky!

BarkCloth is 100% organic and each “cloth” represents one solid piece of bark removed from one Mutuba tree grown in Uganda.  The cool thing is that stripping the tree of its bark does not kill the tree!  As long as it is done properly and the tree is nurtured by the skilled hands of farmers using age-old techniques (which it is), the bark will grow back completely within one year!  This is apparently one of the oldest known sources of fiber for clothing and other functional items in Africa.

Given that each BarkCloth comes from one tree, every piece of BarkCloth is unique and special, with a variety of coloration, texture, thickness, and flaws.  Some cloths have a lot of holes while others are more uniform.  You will see from the photos below that there are many ways one can use BarkCloth.  I played with ways I could make a cocktail hat from BarkCloth.  I selected a thicker piece of BarkCloth with few holes and was able to block it in a very similar manner to buckram with only slight fragility in one spot which had a flaw.  Overall, though, it blocked very nicely.  The aluminum in my push pins reacted with the cloth and turned it black where the pin made contact.  Mary told me that they used a solution containing iron to dye the black BarkCloth they had at the workshop, so it didn’t surprise her that the push pins caused a reaction as well.

BarkCloth can be dyed, treated with bleaches, felted, coated in rubber, embossed to look and feel like leather, and used in a burnout treatment for texture.  You can make bags, shoe uppers (coated in rubber for durability), molded sculptures, embroider it, and do just about anything else that you can do to paper or very thin leather.

So cool!

Photos from the BarkCloth Workshop

I’ll try to limit the number of photos I post, but there are just so many cool ones that show you the range of things you can do.  I would like to continue the direction I was taking with the leaf and feather shapes, and try making petals out of double layers of BarkCloth, plus experiment with wired BarkCloth and ways of firming up the cloth once it’s been formed.  Fun fun fun!

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