Couture Millinery Showstoppers at The Smithsonian Institute: Milliner Extraordinaire Mae Reeves' Hat Collection at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Let's Play Catch Up

I know, I've been gone for quite some time, so I'll try to catch you up on what has been happening with me--the short version.  OK, my computer crashed and I lost all of Ms. E's birth videos and images.  My camera was stolen from my daughter, containing over 300 of my millinery images for my not-yet posted blog tutorials; now that's a true story and a great excuse.  My hat class turned out to be a very fun event, and I promised the ladies that I would invite them back for a free, even more-fun session.  Time pasts so fast, but I'll get to this as soon as possible.

I told you about my winnings at the county fair, I think, but I didn't tell you that my hand-felted hat was put into the millinery contest and a separate class was created for it, rather than it being put into the division and class I entered it into.  What gave them the right to do this!  I'm still upset about that because my goal was/is to venture out into other county fair divisions, not just the millinery division.  But I must say, I think all of this really had little to do with my sluggish blog postings or lack thereof.  I needed to reevaluate why I created this blog--to promote couture millinery and to share my knowledge with others.  I'm back on track now, and I'll concentrate on what I love to do--couture millinery--and filter out most of the white noise.

I'm sorry that I have not gown into my emails in months.  I'll do so, and I'll also post and answer the comments left on my blog. To Anonymous, regarding your comment, my blog is in English.  Many times blogs are sucked up into other Web sites.  I don't quite get the anonymous thing, but that's OK.  Oh, I've returned to Facebook, or should I say I'm visiting it more often again.  I can't stay away from all of that Millinery Eye Candy.  I'm not very much of a phone person (or an email person), so I'm OK there; however, I needed to hold my immediate friends, family, and acquaintances closer to my heart.  The thought of being addicted to social media more than family, friends, acquaintances, See's Candy and Pepsi frightens me.  There is such freedom in not being connected 24/7 to inanimate objects--and even human, at times.  As much as I really enjoy and love others' company, I also love being in my own company as well.  Try it; disconnect every once in a while.

I'll make this promise; I'll never stay away as long as I did this time, as long as I'm in good health.  Either I'll deliver a consistent flow of quality blog posts (I guess that's subjective.), or I'll close the blog down.

About My Blog Banner

I changed my banner, and I know that it's not the most sophisticated banner, but as my children did, Ms. E' inspires me.  You see, Ms. E' is now one year old.  To watch her grow warms my heart, and when I open this blog, the whole of me smiles when I see her face.

About This Blog Post's Title

Last night while perusing YouTube.com I came across a video of Milliner Extraordinaire Lula Mae Reeves' couture millinery creations.  The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture had acquired a collection of Mrs. Reeves hats from her daughter.  Mrs Reeves was an entrepreneur that made hats for the famous and the not so famous starting in the 1930s.  She was the first black American woman to open her own business in downtown Philadelphia--1934.  She retired in 1977!

Every time I see vintage couture millinery, or just well made couture millinery, I find myself swooning.  Mrs. Reeves' hats are absolutely elegant, timeless, and classy.  Although I also like many of the millinery designs of this era, I absolutely love the designs of Mrs. Reeves, as well as some of the other couture milliners from the past.  Just seeing this video makes me remember why I love couture millinery.  The video is over an hour long; so make sure the dog ha been walked, pop some popcorn, stock up on your favorite candy, soda, or some carrot sticks, and settle back to enjoy the movie.  If you can't watch it in one setting, pause it until you can view the entire thing.  This video is inspirational to all pursuing millinery as a business endeavor or those that are already in the millinery business, including those of us that just love couture millinery.

Oh, someone, anyone, if you know or have access to the elegant First Lady Michael Obama, please ask her to adorn her lovely head at least once with a beautiful couture hat.  It would do wonders for the economy.  Every little bit helps.

...and now to the video!  Please stick around for the fashion show; you will not regret it.



What's Coming Up in My Next Post?
Just as every milliner or hobbyist, I constantly purchase supplies and continuously stuff those supplies into spaces that just can't take any more!  I made a promise to myself:  "I will not purchase more supplies."  OK, so I broke that promise.  So, I made another promise to myself:  "I will at least use the supplies as I purchase them."  OK, once again I broke that promise; I purchased the material at least three years ago.  My favorite fabric store will only sell a minimum of one yard of fabric.  That's too much fabric for one hat, so I vowed to start using the entire yard--this may prove to be too ambitious.  But, in my next post I'll show you exactly what I did with that one yard of material.  A hint:  hats (how many?), shoes?, etc., etc.  Don't miss my next post; sign up for email reminders.  See sidebar to your right.

Wishing All a Very Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Let us give thanks for what we do have, and pray for all of those that are in need, for there is a big gap between our needs and our wants.  To those here and in other parts of the world that do not celebrate this holiday, gratitude is still a wonderful and transforming trait for all of us, 365 days a year.


Thank you so much for following my blog.  For this I'm so grateful.

Just a little note:  I will be going back into the email and social media world with both feet next week, hopefully.  Every once in a while, I love spending time with Lee--that's me!.

(1) Class Reminder: Couture Millinery Fascinator Class, October 15th; (2) Learning from the Past: My First Bird-of-Paradise

Couture Millinery Fascinator Class Less Than Two Weeks Away!

First, I would like to thank those of you that dug your way through my wordy, confusing class registration instructions to pay and register for class.   I'll do better next time.  For those of you still having problems figuring out how to pay/register, here is the short and skinny.  If you would like to pay through PayPal, just email me at lduncan@hatstruck.com.  In the email, provide me with the email address associated to your PayPal account, and I will send you an invoice for payment.  If you are sending a check, email me for my address.  The check must clear before class begins.  You also have the option of paying by money order before the day of class start.  There are a few seats left; first come, first served.

Learning from the Past:  My First Bird-of-Paradise

I  know, you think I've taken leave of my senses, especially when I tell you that I've had an overwhelming urge to travel to downtown Los Angeles (California Millinery) to purchase these vintage broken, faded birds.  Well, some of you would think that I was "touched," but some of you would identify with this urge.  It is the urge to learn something new, the urge to grow my craft, the urge to improve.  I've felt for some time that I have been driving on a four-lane highway, with all of the cars horizontally lined up.  I've been feeling the urge to move forward lately; this is a good thing.  I invite these feelings.  

Although I give credit to my instructors and my millinery library for some of my growth, I have to give myself credit for having that itch that moves me forward.  How else would my skills have grown so much over the years.  I say these things to encourage you to move beyond that which has been taught you and that which will be taught you. These vintage birds are also my millinery instructors.  All of them have been made with different supporting materials.  All of them look different.  There is no one way of doing anything.  If you subscribe to this notion, your growth will be stunted.  

I love visiting California Millinery because there I can purchase and/or study artifacts that will never again be made with such skill.   I have heard some call these artifacts junk.  What a shame....  After all, this junk taught me how to make my first bird-of-paradise.

Fascinator Construction:  Buckram frame covered with black suede, and sprinkled with large vintage amber-colored rhinestones.