We are pleased to announce the Top 10 for the 2023 Millinery Australia Design Award! This year saw 40 Fellow members register to take part in the Design Award.
The theme was Ruffled and each piece was judged by an expert panel on the criteria of innovative design, quality workmanship, wearability and relevance to theme. The judging panel include Belinda Osborne, Martin Ginnane, Rachael Hart, and Richard Nylon.
Look in the window late at night (not in a creepy way) during peak hat season and you will see by the glow of a sewing light, head down, hands stitching away, a milliner working tirelessly putting finishing touches on the latest headwear delights. As a milliner, I know the gig all too well. It is the time of year where we milliners and hatmakers alike, emerge from our studios, tired, hands worn, with the very best in millinery fashion for our clients.
So how on earth is there time to get inspired to design and make a piece for a competition!? Let alone, a competition such as the prestigious Myer Fashions on the Field Millinery Award. With its rather daunting list of entrant requirements.
I’m going to share with you how I approach designing and making for competitions, in particular, for both the Myer Millinery Award and the Millinery Australia Design Award, and some tips for entering. Competitions always seem to be right in the middle of the busiest time of the year. As a professional milliner, my client’s always come first as they pay me to do what I love. A competition on the other hand, does not pay me to do what I love. So why do I do it?
Very early on in my career, I realised competitions were an investment of time and effort that is not guaranteed a return or benefit. So, I decided that I would make them benefit me in a way I felt I could justify the time spent. I made my own ‘benefit package’ as such. I began to see competitions as an opportunity to further develop my skills, to push me to innovate and to network with others.
Entering a competition such as the Myer Millinery Award requires time, planning, discipline, and a good understanding of the requirements of the competition. If you have not entered previously, or have yet to delve into the competition’s new digital format, trust me when I say, there is more time invested than you may think. This can also become a black hole of time if you let it. Planning is key!
Firstly, I decide how much time I am willing or able to invest in my entry. How much time really depends on how innovative and creative I want to get with the design, and of course the looming competition deadline. If I want to design something completely new, I need to factor time to experiment and fail (maybe a few times). On top of that, I also need to plan for recording and editing footage for my social media and video diary, updating my portfolio, and of course, photographing my finished entry. I do all of this myself, as this has been part of my ‘benefits package’ and learning journey. I approach a competition the same as I would when I need to choreograph shoots and artwork for marketing. I like a professional clean look, and I have been honing my skills at achieving this over the years.
When I begin to think about designs for any competition, I tend to think backwards. What do I want to see on display or in the images? What is going to make the judges not want to take their eyes off my design and curious to know more? What is the best silhouette that is going to portray this? What do a want to highlight; a technique or maybe to convey a feeling? What is the competition asking of me, and how will I address this requirement in my design?
I will always ask these questions before I begin. As I did for both my winning entries in the 2021 Myer Millinery Award and the 2022 Millinery Australia Design Award. With the Myer Millinery Award, I knew I wanted a statement piece that was new and fresh in its concept, but echoed age-old silhouettes. “A bow…no, a BIG bow!!” and that is how it began, with a sketch of a large bow encircling the model’s head. But it was the way in which I used feathers to create almost a new textile in which formed the bow, that really took my design to the next level. I was working in a new space for millinery and creating a real moment. I have a motto I use in my business, and that’s “making millinery moments.” I apply this when designing. I want to create a moment, a millinery moment. I want my clients to feel it, I want the judges to feel it. Surprise, shock, amaze and awe are your friends in a coveted competition such as the Myer Millinery Award.
When designing and constricted by a theme, I’m not one for hiding behind a tenuous connection to the theme. I tend to stay very literal, almost in your face about it. For the Millinery Australia Design Award, the 2022 theme of counterbalance resonated with me. I wanted everything about my finished design to appear to counter balance another aspect of the design. In my head I envisaged the silhouette of a yin yang symbol framing a model’s face. As you can see, I started my designing process by thinking backwards again. It is a way that works for me and helps me focus.
Every competition is different. Being able to understand what a competition is asking of you is no different than understanding a client’s need. If you haven’t had much experience in this, then entering competitions can be a great way to get a little more experience. A competition, like a client, may have a list of criteria they need you to meet. With experience you’ll begin to see there is usually one or two criteria that holds more weight than others. When you understand what that is for each competition, you can really begin to hone your entries to the requirements.
When getting ready to enter your next or first competition, my big tips are: + Research. What designs were successful in the past? In what way were they remarkable? Did they take any risks? + Understand the requirements. If you are unsure of something, a brief email with your query to the competition organiser is your best option for clarity. + Tailor your entry to each competition, but never lose sight of who you are as a designer. + Ensure you have your own ‘benefit package.’ That way if the result isn’t a prize, you still benefit from entering i.e. opportunity to hone one’s skills, new images to add to portfolio and social media, building contacts and networking etc. It can be what you make it.
Remember, it’s not about winning or losing, but how you play the game. I’ve always played to have fun.
We are pleased to announce the Top 10 for the 2022 Millinery Australia Design Award! This year saw 47 Fellow members register to take part in the Design Award.
The theme was Counter Balance and each piece was judged by an expert panel on the criteria of innovative design, quality workmanship, wearability and relevance to theme. The judging panel include Georgia Skelton, Melissa Jackson and Janice Breen Burns.
What made you come up with the idea to host an auction to support the floods in QLD and NSW?
The idea for the Milliiners4Recovery auction had its birth in the days after the ‘Black Summer Fires’ when communities were in such desperate need for help and the general community were unable to do anything to help. A group of artists and authors had a Twitter Auction ‘Authorsforfires’ which was raising money to help the fire fighters, so I asked some close milliner friends what they thought and took on the project myself with their support.
Originally we had planned to run the event a couple of times that year knowing that recovery from such experiences takes years and we wanted survivors to know they remained in our thoughts. However within weeks the pandemic hit, milliners were not making money and it was too much to ask people to contribute again. Come this year and again we see large numbers of people isolated and their lives turned upside down due to the impact of flooding in Queensland and New South Wales. Again that feeling of helplessness set in seeing people have everything they own destroyed and lives being lost. I decided to ask our community if they wanted to do it again.
We have had over 25 milliners donate hats and headwear so far, several donating more than one piece. This time I found an online platform AirAuctioneer, a Sydney based company who waived fees for anyone running auctions raising money for the floods. They have been fantastic support as well.
Where will all the funds be going?
The proceeds of this auction will be paid directly to Lifeline and Red Cross Australia’s Flood Appeal. Red Cross because they are a well run group who manage to get help to those who need efficiently. Lifeline because the recovery from any trauma is not just physical, the impact can take weeks, months or years to emerge. Each milliner is selecting the charity to which the winning bidder will pay directly. Like our first auction, the winning bidder pays directly to the charity in their own name and on proof of payment, the hat is posted to them. This allows the bidder to be able to claim their tax deduction.
The first time you ran an auction you raised nearly $8000 – what would your goal be for this time around?
I am hoping that this time around we can raise closer to 10k. We have pieces this time with a greater size and price range and hopefully pieces that appeal to all genders.
If you were to bid on a piece, which one would you choose?
My husband will be bidding on a couple of pieces for me. The one I’d most like to win is Karen Livingston from KML Millinery’s piece. It is a lovely hat made in honour of her niece’s partner’s father who lost his life in the floods. A proud hat wearer, this piece has been made to honour him.
I also love Leteisha Knecht’s hat that comes with a handmade macrame hanger and you can’t go past the colour of Georgia Skelton and Sandy Forrester’s hats.
Sadly Louise Macdonald fans have already outbid me as have those who want Rose Hudson’s beret.
The exhibition is soon to be coming to a close but before it does, here are a few more milliners taking part in this exhibition.
Lauren Ritchie
Lauren creates quality hats and headwear influenced by the world around her. Her pieces reflect a high standard of workmanship with strong and flowing design lines.
Her ’Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Fairywren ’is inspired by the stunning vibrant blue feathers of the Fairywren of the Maluridae family.
Phillip Rhodes
Phillip was showered with opportunity through old-school workroom training in Melbourne with Mr Individual. Later stumbling into the costume house behemoth, Berman and Nathan and major West End theatrical shows. He returned to Melbourne for brand building with major department stores before returning to the Australian Ballet and Melbourne Theatre Company.
His’ Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Letting go …’ explores the concept that letting go is easy yet the hardest thing to do.
Sandy Forrester
Sandy has over 20 years experience as a milliner with many awards to her credit for her stand out creations.
Her ’Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Brolga and Water Lillies of Arnhem Land’ is inspired by a beautiful indigenous artwork from West Arnhem Land and the Bangarra Dance Company Dreamtime story of the Brolga.
Visit the exhibition at Joel Gallery, Altona from Saturday 12 – Thursday 24 February 2022.
With the exhibition underway, its time to show a few more milliners taking part in this unique and exciting exhibition, showcasing some of Victoria’s talented milliners.
Georgia Skelton
Georgia’s passion for millinery is an extension of her theatrical background with the Australian Ballet Company and her career as a designer and teacher at several leading fashion institutes in Melbourne. Her work is often infused with a sense of drama and incorporates advanced techniques from different creative disciplines.
Her ’Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Empress’ is inspired by late 19th century Korea and pays homage to the artisans who created the traditional ‘gat’ hat that represented social status.
Louise Macdonald
Based in Melbourne’s iconic Nicholas Building in Swanston St, Louise has been making hats and collaborating with clients and designers for over 25 years. Starting her career in London and working as a costume milliner, Louise is now most known for her exquisite hand sculpted straw hats and headpieces that are delicate, light and full of movement that is particular to her label.
Her ’Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Off the Rails’ is a tribute to the weavers in China and the Philippines who hand weave the sinamay straw fabric used by milliners.
Laura Dunnington
Laura finds inspiration for her millinery through materials, print making, photography, music, art, film, nature and vintage fashion journals. She has a particular interest in painting and dyeing materials to achieve various effects which results in no two pieces being exactly alike.
Her ’Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Soundscape’ is a visual representation of sound and celebrates the individual.
Visit the exhibition at Joel Gallery, Altona from Saturday 12 – Thursday 24 February 2022.
With the launch of Boldly Different now open, we can showcase the amazing Victorian members who are taking part in this event. Every couple of days will be highlighting a few milliners – so be sure to check into his blog for updates every few days.
Catherine Storm
Catherine is an award winning Melbourne milliner based in Altona, in Melbourne’s west. Her collection includes occasion and race wear as well as funky fedoras, sassy sun hats & vivid visors.
Her ‘Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Heart of a Lion, Body of a Sausage’, showcases the boldly different breed of the dog world – the dachshund.
Chris handcrafts bespoke and ready to wear millinery from her studio in SE Melbourne. She is known for her love of bold colours and graphic statement pieces. Her headpieces range from traditional and tailored through to loud and quirky, often with a hint of drama and movement.
Her ‘Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘Sunset on Whitehaven Beach ’tells the story of travelling in our own backyard during the pandemic and witnessing views that took her breath away.
Rachel Henry
Rachel is an award winning Melbourne milliner. She describes her work as feminine with clean lines and fluid shapes. She has an ethos to produce quality over quantity.
Her ’Boldly Different ’exhibit ‘My Melbourne’ was inspired by the love of the city and includes a collaboration with graffiti artist Daniel Van De Wiel.
Visit the exhibition at Joel Gallery, Altona from Saturday 12 – Thursday 24 February 2022.
Millinery Association of Australia | Millinery Australia | Millinery and Hat Blog | Millinery 3 Ways: Model, Semi Model and Ready to Wear
The millinery trade has a long history overseas and particularly in Australia. But did you know that within the term millinery there are three types of categories? In the past, milliners adopted one of these distinct types and everyone knew where they stood and the work reflected this.
We ask ourselves of today’s contemporary millinery – is there a place for all three types still? Let’s explore this topic with commentary from our current President, Rose Hudson. Some milliners call themselves couture or bespoke, and others don’t. Many hats these days are mass produced but if you shine the spotlight on Australian milliners, all three types of millinery are still represented in a more modern way and they are just as relevant. From the biggest to smallest of budgets, there is millinery for everyone. And this links back to why these millinery types existed in the first place.
So, what are Model, Semi Model and Ready to Wear?
Model Millinery
Model Millinery was and still is making a hat from scratch. Taking it from the imagination and making it a 3D reality for the client. The most glamorous of salons like those of Thomas Harrison or Ronald Bernarde in Melbourne, Australia were at the upper end of model millinery in the hey day of millinery fashion. They had gilt mirrors, leopard skin rugs, chandeliers and a frightening pomposity. Many other capital cities around Australia also had similar millinery salons just like these.
Millinery Association of Australia | Millinery Australia | Millinery Blog | Millinery 3 Ways: Model, Semi Model and Ready to Wear Photo Source: Louise Macdonald from “The Hats of a Lifetime exhibition” by Thomas Harrison of Melbourne 17-28 March 1976. 1/Stitched angora hat (top right) 2/Ivory coarse straw bonnet trim of navy grosgrain ribbon, leather flower and navy eye veil (bottom right, circa 1946-50) 3.Violet quilted crepe hat, trim of grosgrain ribbon, scarlet and green and feather (left, circa 1934-39)
These salons of yesteryear usually had one velvet upholstered chair in front of the mirror. There were very few hats on display. The average women was too nervous to enter. The milliner or manager of the salon would discuss madam’s requirements, take her head measurements (if it wasn’t already recorded in a book somewhere) write some notes and take a small deposit.
The manager would then go upstairs or behind a curtain to a workroom where 3 or 4 milliners worked. Discussions ensued about the client’s requirements and the head of the workroom (a hierarchy never in dispute) set about making a block first for the client. The block was made of sparterie and sometimes took a week to make. The milliner then started making the hat from there. All trimmings were handmade but the flowers imported from Europe and France. They were never made like milliners do today. There would be a first fitting, to make sure that the hat was what the client had in mind.
Two weeks later when it was completed the client was called for a final fitting and took her hat home. The average cost of a hat was like the equivalent of a week’s wages. Rose Hudson recalls “ I know this because my mother had her going away hat made by Ann Austin in the Block Arcade and this was the procedure and what it cost.”
Semi-Model Millinery
So the average woman usually didn’t go to a salon of a model milliner. They went to “semi-model” milliners. These milliners could be found in the city and they were in every shopping strip in every suburb too.
Magda Urban in East Brighton, Marie Therese Ward in Brighton, Elizabeth of Kew at Kew Junction, Belle’s Bonnetts in Howie Place and Stella Long in the Block Arcade, where our current President Rose Hudson worked for a time. Every milliner has heard with delight the phrases “my grandmother was a milliner, my aunt was a milliner”. Usually these women worked in little hat shops of the semi-model milliners. Rose recalls “The woman who trained me as a junior, had her first hat shop in Kew in the High Street. She had a fabulously successful business which she put down to a bus stop out the front. Women waiting would come in and browse. She made a fortune in the days when women wore hats everyday.”
In these shops, the hats were blocked by hand but machine finished. Machine zig zagged wire on the brim edge, machine sewn bind on the edge. Machine sewn trimmings. A bit of glue, here and there. Bought flowers, pre-made linings sewn in. These were everyday hats for the average women. Semi-model because they were half hand made and half machine made.
Ready to Wear
The final category is ready to wear. These were hats blocked on a hydraulic hat press. Metal hat blocks, heated by either gas or electric element could produce many blocked hat shapes per hour. Machine sewn edge and binding, machine head ribbon inside, with simple trims either stitched or glued on. These hats were sold at Myer or David Jones and every little frock shop in the suburbs. Hats for church, hats for weddings, hats for work, hats for every day. People now sneer at ready to wear from a millinery perspective. It has developed a bad name in the last couple of decades. Some call it the “hot glue gun brigade”.
However, many milliners realise that there should be an affordable option for every client who walks in the door. Many people who have never worn a hat all year will opt for a ready to wear hat as an economical way to buy and wear a hat. Model and Semi model millinery it isn’t but to that person it could be a “gateway” hat for a younger race goer. Or a pretty headpiece to wear to a wedding. In a few years, when working in an established career, that same person might be looking for custom made creation from a milliner.
On Reflection
At the recent season of “Ladies in Black” by the Queensland Theatre Company (book written by Carolyn Burns, music and lyrics by Tim Finn based on Madeleine St John’s novel, The Women in Black, directed by Simon Phillips) some of our Millinery Association members went to see the show as one of our member outings. Many members were delighted by the nostalgia the show evoked of the fashionable era of city shopping and department stores of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The show was not too sentimental but in fact “an echo of a different time in Australia’s history”.
As milliners, we sometimes focus of the fashionable hat days of a bygone era but this sentiment sometimes makes hat history seem far more glamorous than today. Maybe it was…but what can be said is that today, more than ever, milliners are still creating amazing hats and custom made head wear for clients, they are still making regular collections that tie in with the seasons and special events calendars and some are even making very affordable, ready to wear options at a lower cost for all clients and budgets.
Gone are the leopard print chairs and gilt mirrors, and Hello internet! Today’s modern milliners offer all three types of millinery: Model, Semi-Model and Ready to Wear but in a contemporary way. And with the age of the internet and social media, it is now an endless fusion of fashion inspiration and design. The internet is filled with amazing pictures of vintage pieces yesteryear right through to today’s cutting edge design and on trend style.
The future is bright, so be sure to check out our milliners directory here to find a milliner just right for you!
