The Challenge

We have been asked by Bankfield Museum to use a range of their collection of hats from 1860 to 1960 as inspiration to create new pieces or look at ways to re-create pieces from the past. The hats need to be completed by October 25th and the exhibition opens in the first week of November 2010 for two months. The exhibition has resulted from an earlier collaboration with the museum with City & Guilds students where all the hast exhibited were the groups own hats, this time there will be the mix of the archive inspiration and the exciting new creations, all in the name of showing the wonders of Bankfield and the fantastical art of millinery.

1960's pink bomb!

The last but not least hat was the vibrant pink crin hat from the 1960's. Bankfield Museum has a collection of stunning 1960's from flowers to flounces!

1950 Dora Hartley hat

This wondrous 1950's hat was made in Halifax in the 1950's with a mix of silk velvet and braid straw.

1925 Cloche

Another of my favourite hats. Black plush cut and sew with embellishment using braid, grosgrain and chain stitch.

1930 feather band

Aigrette feathers on a band.

1930-1940 Black Felt Twist

This hat looks deceptively simple as many in the 1930's did.

1935 Burgundy Beret

One of my favourite Bankfield hats, the ingenuity of this hat is the pattern pieces that create this unusual form of beret. the stitching on the top looks as if it has been done on a Cornelli machine.

1930 felt with feather

A midnight blue felt, the felt has moleskin feel, a fine suede felt. There are two goose feathers sewn together to get the effect of a fuller feather, similar to the way the victorians joined ostrich feathers.

1925 Cloche

Cloche made of crepe from Waddington's of Halifax

1917 Trousseau Hat

Bankfield has the coat that goes with this hat, it was worn by a lady whose honeymoon was in Egypt.

1910 Straw hat with Ruffled Lace

The Braid straw hat has a overly large crown, and inside there is a smaller head fitting, with a silk draw string lining to  enable the hat to fit. The lining had pin home marks in it showing that it must have also been secured with hat pins. The lining has a lovely gold crest printed in the tip of the crown.

1900-1920 Ornamental Hair Comb

Bankfield Museum has several ornamental combs made of a range of early plastics including bakelite.

1890-1900 Straw Boater

19th Century Doll's hats

Made of braid straw. The patina on the hats is from years of dust collecting on the surface.

1887

Velvet bonnet,with ruched velvet crown and feather flowers.