When one thinks of millinery, the infamous Phillip Tracey and his muse, the late Isabella Blow, comes to mind. The Irish milliner studied journalism at the national College of Art and Design in Dublin. The journalism didn’t stick but the design did. Tracey went on to design hats for Alexander McQueen’s white Haute Couture collection at Givenchy in Paris and for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and has won British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards five times throughout the 1990′s.
He was awarded an honorary OBE for services to the British fashion industry by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at a ceremony in Clarence House on 19 November 2007 and designed 36 of the hats worn at the recent nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Since the Duke and Duchesses’ wedding, Britain’s love of hats has come state side. Marc Jacobs own Fall/Winter 2011 collection was presented with many of the models wearing his take on the pill-box hat and for Louis Vuitton he featured models wearing a take on the conductor’s hat.
These hats may be for the die hards only but with hats being a huge trend for fall, we have curated a much more wearable collection for the more faint at heart.
Clockwise from top left: Eugenia Kim Kurt Suede fedora $310.00 www.netaporter.com, Cream Faux Sheepskin Trapper Hat $50.00 www.topshop.com, Deena & Ozzy Classic Felt Panama Hat $34.00 www.urbanoutfitters.com, Collection XIIX Twill Newsboy Cap $38.00 www.nordstroms.com.
Liking the hats on this page, especially those towards the bottom, which are so chic, but can still be worn everyday!