Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Girl's Guide to The Summer Must Have Accessory: Hats

SUMMER HATS
BOATER
A boater (also known as a basher, skimmer, cady, katie, somer, or sennit hat) is a hat associated with sailing and boating. It is normally made of straw and has a stiff or soft flat crown and brim, typically with a ribbon around the crown, which is often in colours representing a school, rowing crew or similar institution.



CLOCHE
The cloche hat is a fitted, bell-shaped hat that was invented by milliner Caroline Reboux in 1908, became especially popular during the 1920s, and continued to be commonly seen until about 1933. Cloche is the French word for "bell". A cloche can be worn in summer or winter dependant on the weight of the material. 





FEDORA
A fedora is a men's felt hat that is creased lengthwise down the crown and pinched in the front on both sides. A fedora can also be worn either in summer or winter, again dependant on the weight of the material.



PANAMA
A Panama hat is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant.




PILLBOX
A pillbox hat is a small woman's hat with a flat crown and straight, upright sides.



PORK PIE
A pork pie hat or porkpie hat is a type of hat made of felt or, less commonly, straw. It is somewhat similar to a fedora, but like the boater it has a flat top. The crown is short and has an indentation all the way around, instead of the pinch crown typically seen on fedoras and homburgs.




WINTER HATS
BERET
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, usually of woven or hand-knitted wool or wool felt, or these days often acrylic fiber. 


BOWLER
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby, billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the British soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester. The bowler hat is also a better option for the winter months.


BOYAR
The boyar hat is a fur hat worn by Russian nobility between the 15th and 17th centuries, most notably by boyars, for whom it was a sign of their social status. The higher hat indicated the higher status.


TUQUE
A tuque is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter. Most tuques are tapered; they sometimes have ear flaps, and may be topped with a pom-pom, this style of tuque is sometimes referred to as a bobble hat, boggan or sherpa.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Le Tour Eiffel

Some amazing shots I've taken of my favorite landmark over the years...






Is there anything better?

There is nothing quite like a Parisian pastry shop window :)


Paris, September 2005


Drape Studies

So, I recently purchased an adjustable female dress form so I could continue to practice and perfect my draping and alteration skills. My first drape study was what I thought would be a floor length gown. I actually just starting fooling around with some leftover curtain fabric I had lying around the house. It turns out the fabric is a bit too stiff to be a gown, but moves and looks much better as a cocktail dress. I'm still working on my pleats and the armhole is going to be a bit tricky...but here are some preliminary pictures :)

 

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Polyvore Contest: Nordstrom Wedding Style

Enter the Polyvore Nordstrom Wedding Style Contest!

One grand-prize winner will receive a $1,000 Nordstrom Gift Card and an overnight trip to L.A. or Chicago for an exclusive appointment with a Nordstrom Wedding Stylist or Personal Stylist.
Five runners-up will be featured on Polyvore and posted on the Nordstrom Facebook page.