The Social season for Australia's most northerly capital city, Darwin all happens in winter when there are no monsoonal rains. Milliner Helen Wilkinson offers a complete and  unique service to clients as she  provides a head to toe grooming service for Weddings, the Races or that Special Occasion. Every Customer heads out the door with a Couture headpiece in hand, Gel polish on…

Fascinator and headpieces can be made in different shapes using different components. All the techniques are explained in detail plus tips to trim & line your headpiece will give a quality finish.
» Watch lesson trailer

Overlaying your sinamay straw with extra colour & fabric will make your hat or headpiece a one off as you apply individual creativity. Learn how to give these extras the perfect finish with the use of braid petit purl or rayon braid.
» Watch lesson trailer

It is essential to maintain good lighting conditions as we work closely with our hat creations especially when hand stitching darker colours. This Adjustable Bench Light is perfect as it has a bright, energy saving tricolour powder fluorescent tube.
» More details

Tanya Hodgson loves creating special things and you can't get anything more special than a gorgeous piece of millinery. She has perfected tooling flowers and every bride would feel special with this beautiful rose complimenting the hairstyle on her wedding day. Tanya may be a Beginner but is making steps towards excelling in millinery.

» Check out more…

This piece has a vintage silk cherry blossom and vintage rhinestones speckling the top of the hat. It's finished with two feathers to give it just a touch of flair. This hat is perfect for spring and can go with casual to formal outfits.

More Details | Milliner Profile | …

Vivienne Morgan Millinery had a very successful first outing at the Dubai World Cup. All three racegoers wearing Vivienne Morgan Millinery hats who entered the Jaguar Style Stakes made it to the final of the Best Dressed Lady category at the Dubai World Cup on 30 March 2013.
» Read More

Learn three different fabric covering techniques in this lesson. Buckram has been a favourite for milliners for decades but currently with fashion interest in vintage look dome crowns everyone wants to learn how to cover the crown using fabric.
»Watch trailer

Passementerie is a vintage trim in cording and braid often incorporating metallic threads of gold & silver plus an embellishment with beads. This has always been favoured by the French in clothing & furnishings but Ainhoa Carrizo Casas from Bilbao, Spain has also favoured this traditional style of trimming on her stunning black velvet…

It is so refreshing to view millinery by male milliners. As 99.9% of milliners are female we welcome Zak from Armenia to Hat Academy. The guys just add something extra with their creativity & we all applaud them.  The Rectangular styling is definitely one step beyond the square and is softened by the delicate spotting on the trims.…

Cindy Blake from Northern New South Wales, Australia transforms her clients to another place with her elegant & classy headwear. No "seeing red" in this style, just all smiles from another happy client. Each piece is a work of art  and she guarantees they create a statement & will turn heads at any event. Such is her passion for millinery and she is lucky enough to live near the…

Balancing family time with an infant son and creative time in her studio is a challenge Sydney milliner Jane Ellul and many budding milliners face. Jane started making headpieces for herself and her business took off from there. She has started classes now and loves learning new concepts. Cocktails are her favourite as seen in this photo using a simple…

Living in Spain and loving life is evident in the creations by Amparo Azorin of Murcia, Spain. She feels good when wearing one of her creations and loves to pass on that "feel good" effect to her clients. This one by one petal bouquet in spring colours will bring a smile to all.

» Peep her latest…

Learn how to transform biot feathers to add dimension and give style to a trim. Check out more feather techniques in Feather Trim Shaping lesson.
» Watch the trailer

With the encouragement from her husband and her daughters love of wearing headwear, Beverly Hone launched her label "Lulu Fascinations." Like this piece Bev is always thinking outside the square. She is forever grateful to her mentor, Hester for giving her this real love for millinery & she is now adding to her skills here in…

This skill is a must as it is the foundation of shaping headpieces for all styles of millinery. Learn how to steam & shape straw to mould around the block then finish off the crown edge to retain the sizing.
» Watch the trailer

Visual texture holds more interest for the eye than does a smooth, unrelieved surface. We need to add texture in the trim to keep the textural balance to please the observers eye.
» Watch now

"A Day at the Races Hats" says it all for Katie O'Brien who lives in Brisbane, Australia. She studied Millinery at Mt Gravatt TAFE completing a Certificate 3 and 4 in Millinery. She is now in the process of setting up her millinery business. Katies real love is making fun, stand-out headwear for the races as she can be as creative as she wants to be. This Pillbox is almost flowing in the…

How do you survive the deadline rush for hats a few weeks before Derby Day, Royal Ascot or Melbourne Cup?
» Discuss here

This hand-dyed lattice sinamay saucer hat with curled feather quills is a perfect expression of individual style by Laura Del Villaggio of Austin, Texas. Laura has worked as a professional milliner since 1999, when she completed the 2 yr Millinery Certificate program at FIT in NYC. She graduated in the Historic Costume & Textiles program (her other passion) but hats ended up being IT!…