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August & Cowboy Chic

Austin Fashion Week blurred into my next big event, entitled “Cowboy Chic”, on August 5th at a wonderful boutique, Beyond Tradition, in Austin’s 2nd Street District.

Event Poster by Grafix by Dell.  Model Photography by La Pistola.

Event Poster by Grafix by Dell. Model Photography by La Pistola.

The evening featured Milli Starr and Deborah Main Designs, winner of Austin Fashion Week’s “Best Home Decor” award.  DMD is known for its exquisite handmade pillows, including a collection using vintage souvenir scarves from Texas and other western states.  The scarves have wonderful colors and motifs of bucking broncos, cowboys and cowgirls, cacti, and of course, landmarks and tourist destinations of yesteryear.

Deborah Main Designs.  photo by JoBelle Smith.

Deborah Main Designs

I spent the last 2 weeks of July blocking and finishing 12 parasisol straw western hats, in a myriad of colors and trims, from vintage metallic braids to peacock feathers and sequins.

Milli Starr western hat modeled by Rachel Elsberry

Milli Starr western hat modeled by Rachel Elsberry

Hats, pillows, and traditional Southwestern turquoise and silver jewelry were modeled in a mini-fashion show; everyone indulged in food from III Forks and margaritas from Cantina Laredo, while enjoying live music from fiddle phenomena Ruby Jane Smith.   “Cowboy Chic” was incredibly well-attended and loads of fun.  Here’s a few more pics (courtesy of JoBelle Smith):

 

Model Jessa Peters

Model Jessa Peters

 

Model Christian Ramirez

Model Christian Ramirez

 

Love this shot of a blue hat with feather band.

Love this shot of a blue hat with feather band.

 

Ruby Jane in a ruby-red hat

Ruby Jane in a ruby-red hat

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I promised that I would post a photo of the re-make of the western hat that was trounced by the German Shepherd, so here it is.  I started with a brand new velour felt capeline, blocked, wired and hand-finished the brim, then added the gorgeous silver and black trims.  Luckily, I had just enough of the metallic lace and beads to remake the band.  I still can’t believe the Art Deco ornament survived, but it’s perfect.

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I cleaned and re-blocked the damaged felt, and although it wasn’t able to be blocked into a wide-brimmed western hat again, it did make a lovely little cloche.  I trimmed it with a beautiful vintage lace and gave it to the client as a gift and souvenir of the dog-ate-my-hat incident.

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I frequently restore vintage hats, or even modern hats that have been mushed, rained on, or otherwise abused.  I even re-blocked and re-banded a Borsalino felt fedora that a guy put through a dishwasher cycle, mistakenly thinking this was a good way to clean a hat — a baseball cap maybe; fedora NO! But I have never had to restore one of my own designs, until a gorgeous custom western hat met a German Shepherd who was very upset that her owner had left her home alone.

This hat is a one-of-a-kind, handmade beauty in black velour felt.  The crown and flange brim blocks were custom made for Milli Starr from sketches.  It is trimmed with vintage silver metallic lace, overlaid with a striped ribbon, and hand beaded with tiny Czech glass beads.  The center front is adorned with a metallic straw “feather” with a a pearly center and beaded tassels.

 

Before

Before

The dog managed to get the hat out of a hat box (which had been up on a table) and then mangled it.  The horrible part is that she ate the entire lace and ribbon and bead band (24″ long) and had to be hospitalized for intestinal blockage and observation.  Poor Puppy!  I am so glad she is ok. The dog also managed to eat the grosgrain headsize ribbon, although I have no idea how she got all those tiny pick stitches out.  Luckily, the 1920’s metallic straw centerpiece is entirely unmarred.  I guess it wasn’t as yummy as the ribbons.

 

After

After

This weekend, I will clean and steam the velour felt body, and see if I can get it re-blocked.  It’s doubtful, because the brim edge is very complicated and I know I won’t have enough in the width of the felt to properly block and rope the edge.  And once wire is kinked that badly, it’s done for.  Removing all that hand-stitching will further weaken the felt along the edge.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be starting fresh with a brand new velour felt capeline.  I have just enough metallic lace to do another band and extra beads, etc.  The 1920’s ornament is a one-of-a-kind treasure discovered amongst a trove of dead-stock millinery trims from Paris.  Because it survived, I’ll be able to re-create the custom hat.

A new dog-sitter will be found and all ends well.  I’ll post photos of the duplicate hat once it’s complete.

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