During the late 18th century hats for ladies had become almost as important as other items of clothing, the trend for hat wearing meant that an outfit was incomplete without one. Hats that were once made by all employees working in the clothing industry required expert construction and the role of the milliner was born.
By the 20th century hats had become less fashionable, and whilst there are still many occasions when hats are worn such as weddings and race days the specialist skill of the milliner is no longer in high demand.
We have a milliner named Michelle who lives close by, she designs and makes the most beautiful hats and fascinators and this week she dropped in to help us to make our own fascinators for our race afternoon in June.
The whole afternoon was fascinating, pun intended. We learned about the history of hat making and had fun modelling some of Michelle’s creations. None of us had ever tried our hands at hat making previously and we all relished the opportunity to give it a go.
We were so proud of our creations and are looking forward to showing them off next month.