Allison Parson's Bes-Ben Collection

On Saturday, Allison Parson of Allison Parson Design was gracious enough to share her Bes-Ben millinery collection.  Allison gave a talk on milliner Benjamin B. Green-Field and his label, Bes-Ben, including how she acquired this amazing collection.  You would have thought that these little gems were walking the red carpet at the Oscar Awards.  Observers surrounded Allison's collection capturing images with their cell phones, in most cases, and cameras. We were mesmerized paparazzi.

I always get excited when I have the opportunity to view vintage millinery.  I'm amazed with the workmanship found in vintage couture millinery.  These vintage hats really represent the art of millinery; they represent a time in history before couture millinery and glue gun was not mentioned in the same sentence, and before imagination and copycat didn't mean the same thing.

I learn so much when I turn over a vintage hat.  I learn millinery techniques such as stitching, various ways of securing hats, trimming, finishing techniques, and how various foundation materials were utilized.  Finally, I receive fresh ideas, not to copy but to build upon.  Look beyond the style of these hats; look at the workmanship and learn from the past.  Enjoy!

To view more Bes-Ben images, follow my link under Millinery-Related & Other Links of Interest in the right sidebar.  For more information regarding the Bes-Ben label and the milliner visit the Benjamin B. Green-Field Foundation site.  Also, sit in on a taped interview with Raymond Hudd; see sidebar.  Hudd was influenced, in part, by Bes-Ben.  Please, you have to see Hudd's work; this is the dessert!