We are lucky to be based in a city with such fantastic history and amazing people. The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina featured local milliner, Meyriel Jill, and her collection of handmade fascinators and hats. Meyriel studied traditional millinery at the London College of Fashion, the Wombourne School of Millinery, and in France with esteemed milliners Dillion Wallwork and Bridget Bailey. She has designed hats for weddings, The Kentucky Derby, Royal Ascot, and her creations have even met the Queen of England.
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During her presentation she showed how she creates hats and fascinators using different materials and hat blocks. Meyriel uses felt, antique lace, feathers, leather, and sinamay (banana tree fibers) to add brilliant texture, shape, and movement to each piece.
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| Meyriel Jill stretching felt over a hat block |
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| Sinamay fabrics and a wedding fascinator created by Meyriel |
You may be wondering, what exactly is a fascinator? Unlike a typical hat fitted around the crown of your head, a fascinator sits tipped to the front attached by clips, combs, headbands, or elastic. Fascinators originated in the 1800s as pieces made of crocheted wool that hung from your head. By the 1920s head dresses had evolved to headbands that were worn to keep the wearer's hair perfectly in place. Many of these headbands were embellished with ornate beading that matched to opulence of the times. Eventually, the bands grew into the cocktail hat and continued on to nestle a permanent place in fashion.
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| Peggy Henry, Muriel Maxwell, Lucille Ball |
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