When I was a little girl, my mother took me to the local hat shop to have a winter hat made. I can still remember how much I loved that little shop, full of amazing hats in the window and boxes of feathers and magic — I was literally a kid in a sweet shop!
Then, when I was at art school, I went to the Philip Treacy exhibition at the Design Museum and I was hooked: This is what I wanted to do with my life. Scroll on (many) years of studying and hard work and I am very lucky to have made that dream come true. I am still missing the beautiful shop with a magical window, but I have my own millinery label, based in a slightly less glamourous location — a 1960s office block, converted into art studios.
As a member of The British Hat Guild, I am surrounded by wonderful and inspiring creative milliners. The Showtime for Hats exhibition is the perfect example of this: It’s the U.K.’s first exhibition of hats created for theatre, film, TV and opera.
Curated by Claire Strickland and showcasing creations by 18 milliners, the show offers a valuable insight into the theatrical millinery world and is a must-see for hat lovers, budding milliners and costume designers alike.
Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean without Captain Jack Sparrow’s tricorn hat, made by Jane Smith, or Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire without the Beauxbatons’ blue trilby hats made by Philip Treacy.
On display at Hat Works in Luton through October 27, 2023, Showtime for Hats coincides with the Hats Made Me exhibition at Stockwood Discovery Centre (also in Luton), which is running until December 10, 2023. Luton is less than an hour and a half from London and, if you’re in the area, we encourage you to immerse yourself in a day filled with inspirational millinery.
In the meantime, the following stories offer a peek at Claire’s creative process, along with techniques honed by Lauren Martin and Ellie Vallerini, whose hats are also highlighted in Showtime:
Click here to read Claire Strickland’s feature
Click here to read Lauren Martin’s feature
Click here to read Ellie Vallerini’s feature
Connect with Bee Smith
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@BeeSmithHats
