Millinery Fun, the Bridal Headpiece is DONE!

I accomplished one of the larger, looming tasks at hand for the wedding last night - a very important piece of my bridal ensemble, my headpiece. Inspired by the gorgeous hats and veils worn by brides in glamorous 1930s Hollywood films, I ordered a box full of pleated horsehair crinoline and russian veiling from Judith M Millinery Supply and set to work. I was fortunate to find a nice stryofoam hat form/head at Hobby Lobby, which really helped me flesh out my ideas for the piece. I am extremely pleased with how well this turned out.


Here's a quick shot of me modeling the piece, this is the side that our guests will see when we're standing up at the altar. The piece is so full that it completely hides my face when viewed from the other side - so delicious! I feel very flirty peeking out from underneath the brim!



I decided to use a vintage piece of jewelry to finish off the center of the hat, so I scoured my favorite antique shops here in town until I came across this sparkly stunner - I actually spoke with the woman who was selling this piece, as I was examining a few others in her case. She's a costume/rhinestone jewelry collector, and says that this brooch is early 50s vintage - not quite the 40s piece that I had in mind, but I like the look and quality of this particular brooch so much. The rhinestones are in PERFECT condition, as is the metal and the setting. It was a pretty little bargain too, at around $10.



All told, this hat cost me around $30 for materials, and only 3-4 hours of labor. The individuality and uniqueness - priceless! The piece is completely stitched using waxed thread to a small circle of ultra-stiff buckram (double-layered), and will be attached to my hair using several bobbypins instead of a comb or duckbill clip as I had originally planned. Using bobbypins makes the position of the hat much more secure... which in turn makes me feel much more secure as I'm waltzing around.