Tiffany Arey

I really love the shape of this hat and the trimming is beautiful!!

Elaine Mergard

It is the Oval shape we love - so vintage with the narrow brim at the front with width on the side Very often they had a wide brim at the back also and they sat the hat on back of head so the whole hat framed the face and nothing hid the eyes This was popular style in early 1900s.

Bridget Early

Thank you, Tiffany!  I was inspired by some of those early hat styles that Elaine mentioned.  This one is narrow in back forming a deep bell shape.  When I first designed this, I thought that I would have a hat that clients either loved or hated, so was anxious to see how clients reacted, when they saw the hat. I have been very pleased by the response to this hat. Not only do clients love the unique shape, but they have been gushing over the large arrangement of straw flowers, feathers, and veiling. The wide side  brim allows a great deal of space to go a little wild with ornamentation.

Tiffany Arey

Now I'm eager to give that shape a try. It reminds me of one of the hats that Julia Ormond wore in Legends of the Fall that I always liked: http://sohollywoodchic.blogspot.com/2012/01/20s-roaring-twenties_23...

Just curious - is your brim block that exact shape or did you cut the brim after blocking to achieve the curve?

Bridget Early

Don't you just love some of the older movies, or movies about bygone eras for inspiration?  All of the hat blocks that I own at this time are plunge blocks, so what I have to do with a brim like this is carefully measure, cut, and then use a combination of moving the brim around on a plunge block to get the right curve, and/or manipulating the straw or felt with my hands.  Have you ever heard the saying, "it's complicated?"  You can get a similar shape by using a shorter wire, but I like to add the extra effort for a more pleasing curve that does a better job framing. I am sure you could get a proper block what would do the job with more ease, but I try to use what I have whenever possible.

Tiffany Arey

Got it! ;-) Thanks for sharing the approach you use. Xo

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