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Feeding the insatiable hat hunger with millinery blogs
The best blogs about hats – A selection by Ana Elicegui (exclusive for millinery.info)
On many occasions I have daydreamed about the glory days of hats and hat wearing – something I have more than covered in previous articles! Now I'm here to tell you that we now have something they didn't have then: the internet!
The internet can indulge our every whim and fancy when it comes to feeding the insatiable hat hunger. I know the internet is a scary and new place for some and, for those who feel comfortable with technology, there is the consideration of how many hours it is practical to spend in front of the screen. And, while I wouldn't want to deny anyone the pleasure of searching out every corner of the world wide web finding lovely tidbits, I am going to share with you the best of the best blogs I have discovered from my never ending searches.
For the uninitiated – blogs are "web logs". Essentially these are online journals that anyone can write. They are generally updated regularly, and cover any topic the writer cares for.
- Style Rookie
This website is not a blog dedicated only to millinery, but it's a good place to start. Style Rookie is a blog written by 13-year-old Tavi Gevinson. Yes, she's young, but don't discount her yet. She is taken very seriously in the fashion world, and the above link goes an entry on opening of Stephen Jones' "Accent of Fashion" exhibition at the Mode Museum (MoMu) in Antwerp (Belgium). There are lots and lots of photographs, and I am extremely grateful for the reportage of an event I couldn't dream to attend.
Here is an example of her charming writing that caught my eye: "In the DIY vein, I was asked to cut the ribbon with Mr. Jones, as a blogger and stuff. At first I panicked because I thought they meant my ribbon, the one I wear on my head, but apparently they meant the ribbon for the exhibit!" - Chapeau du Jour
Chapeau du Jour is a favourite. It is written by Armando y Montez, milliners in Hollywood, United States. There's not a lot of writing, but:- a lot of pictures of their work
- pictures of some of the most amazing blocks I have ever seen (mostly from the 1940s)
- close ups of trimmings being made.
One of the reasons I love this blogger is because he is very generous with pictures and instructions of some truly delicious trimmings I haven't seen anywhere else, while so many milliners are protective of their trade secrets. The other reason? I think this blog's retro style is really great. - The Rantings of A Mad Hatter Wannabe
The Rantings of A Mad Hatter Wannabe – what a great name! It is written by milliner Cristina de Prada from Barcelona, Spain, but she is certainly no wannabe. This is another of my absolute favourites; it contains lots of detailed pictures and explanations of hats from go to whoa. De la Prada has some very crafty ideas and tricks like making your own blocks or making patterns from blocks. She really is a mad hatter, obviously a fellow hat obsessive, posting pictures of vintage hat boxes, images from books, and many, many other hat related goodies.
I especially enjoyed the post about her new poupée. If you look on the right side of the page you will also find an exhaustive list of other hatty blogs. - Couture Millinery
The blog Couture Millinery by milliner Anya Caliendo is not for those with conservative tastes. You will not find hats for the everyday wear here. It is a very, very, high, high fashion millinery blog with glossy magazine type pictures and also pictures of the historical painterly portrait kind. Thoughtfully written and interesting to read, I like going to this blog for inspiration and to see beautiful covetable work that goes to the extremes. It seems to be updated at least once a month. - Des Chapeaux
Des Chapeaux is something a bit different. Unfortunately it hasn't been added to since 2008, and contains no text. I don't know anything about the author except that they have several other picture-only websites (one devoted exclusively to chimneys!) and comes from France.
It is just picture after picture from vintage books and magazines and will probably exhaust your printer and fill up your computer memory. I cannot recommend this website enough and again feel only gratitude to the blogger, because visiting Des Chapeaux is like going through years of someone else's loving research.
My last pieces of advice would be:
- bookmark these pages and return periodically to see what the bloggers are up to.
- check out their links and recommendations, usually listed along the right hand side of the page; the internet is like falling through a rabbit hole in wonderland and there is no limit to what you might find to interest you.
And if you find something really special and would like to share it with other millinery lovers... why not post it on Louise Macdonald's Facebook page?
Enjoy!
Ana Elicegui
