To keep afloat in the cutthroat world of fashion, it is important to keep ones eyes trained on the Fashion Captains driving the Style Boat. As a hat maker, my vision for creative adornments is generally trained upwards at the northern end of the wearer. However I am still a woman and any woman would be sent into a state of rapture with some of the exquisite footwear that has currently been dreamed into creation!
Feet are now shod in fully bona fide, super-charged, sex on legs, masterpieces! Amongst my favorites are some little beauties from Roberto Cavalli, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Prada. Just imagine what sort of hats could be teamed with these beauties!
Yay shoes!… now back to the hats.
from: http://isfashionart.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html
from: http://www.divawhispers.com/?p=10181
from: http://www.ohstyle.net/latest-prada-shoes-trends-2012-women.html
from: http://searchingforstyle.com/2011/09/milan-spring-summer-2012-catwalk-shoes/
Some hats are made to protect heads from the harsh sun, heavy falling objects and bad hair days. Others are created purely to transform the cranium into an enchanted, fantastical work of art.
At the moment I am deliriously besotted with the headpieces from the Alexander McQueen S/S 2012 collection. Concoctions of delicate lace and astonishing beading, mask the face and work as an extension of these intricately and superbly crafted dresses.
“I was thinking about a woman as an object of desire. We go to such lengths to adorn ourselves that we almost become our clothes or are taken over by them. This is a collection about excess – an exploration of ideals of beauty at their most extreme.’ – Sarah Burton, McQueen designer.
With the face hidden, the woman underneath is all but insignificant to the look. To me, these head coverings do in fact look as if the outfit has consumed the wearer.
I just love the way these close fitting cap/masks bring such strength to the concept. They look almost like modern fairy warriors! Awesome stuff! I’m all inspired now. Going to make a hat!
Got these images from: http://www.weddinginspirasi.com/2011/10/07/alexander-mcqueen-spring-2012-ready-to-wear/
The Beautiful Kelly Bannister - putting the roses to shame with her radiance and Bonnie Evelyn hat!!
I could not think of a better way to end an amazing Spring Racing Carnival, then a day at Sandown Races with the girls. Mega congrats to Miss Kelly Bannister for coming in the Top 10 in Fashions on the Field in her divine vintage forties lace dress and knock out Bonnie Evelyn hat!
Along with all that excitement we had some lovely bubbles, a dirty souvlaki, an ice cream, won some money on a horse called Maximus (really how could he lose with a name like Maximus?) and met some excellent people. Top day!
Sunday was photo shoot day on the beach with our December model of the month. The weather decided to be perfect and sunny and windy. We have some amazing shots of Bonnie Evelyn hair ornaments making outfits look effortlessly summer chic.
Behind-the-scenes sneeky pic of the glamorous Model of the Month, Miss December....
Monday night was the Annual General Meeting of the Milliners Association of Australia where we talked about hats and ate cheese. Awesome.
Lucy (the administrative extraordinaire) has been working hard to put together the amazing new Media page showing some of the media that Bonnie Evelyn hats, headpieces and head ART has seen over the past few years. Click here to take a look!
In other news, I have sustained a hat-block-to-the-toe injury (big block of wood used for making hats jumped on my big toe). Suffering for art and all that. Don’t worry, me and my toe are going to be ok.
So next on the agenda will be to have an epic tidy in Hat Making HQ, then get a wiggle on with some headwear for the brides of Summer and some pretty hat-like Chrissy presents. I’m looking forward to a holiday season full of fun and sun and an exciting new year of ground breaking, breath taking, Earth shattering new headwear!
Greetings all! Here I am back to blogging after a few months of intense work/sleep deprivation/minor crises/miracles and some truly FANTASTIC hats!
I am currently very busy having a bit of a rest in the aftershock of what has been a phenomenal Spring Racing Carnival. It has been a big one for Bonnie Evelyn Millinery! As a debutant of the Milliners Association this year, there have been many exciting opportunities to be involved in the hat action, with hats displayed at the Women in Business Lunch 2011, Hatstravagance 2011 and a super-hot entry in the Milliners Award on Oaks day.
Lucy looking SUPER HOT for the Millinery Award at Crown Oaks Day 2011
Black Swirl hat at the 'Women in Business Lunch 2011'
There were also Bonnie Evelyn originals upon the head of the ‘Leiela’ representative in the designer award on Cup day, and on the divine stage goddess from the current production of ‘Love Never Dies’, Sharon Millerchip.
Sara the 'Leiela' entry in the 2011 design awards on cup day with the lovely Leiela girls!
Sharon Millerchip in a Leiela dress and Bonnie Evelyn hat and custom-made shoe clips 
The delightful Miss Lucy Farmer and myself represented at the Oaks day Ladies Lunch at Crown, as a part of the lovely prize received from winning the Yellowglen Vintage Hat competition. It was a pleasure to see Yellowglen’s Winemaker Trina Smith sporting the winning hat!
Our favorite fashion fox Alex Foxcroft has again blown us away with her natural cool style and Bonnie Evelyn headwear in the fashions on the field competitions at Flemington. Alex made the final 10 on Derby Day, second runner up at the Melbourne Cup, took first place on Oaks Day, was the overall winner for Victoria and Second runner-up in the Nationals! Woo! Well-done Alex! And EXCELLENT choice in winning headwear!!
Alex goes polka-dot chic on Derby Day
So now to resume a normal sleeping pattern, expose my pitiful ‘been-living-under-a-rock-for-100-years’ pallor to the sunlight and maybe find that social life that got left behind for the past few months!
I hope to see you all down at the Betfair Sandown Guineas Day at Sandown Racecourse this Saturday, where I will be enjoying a bit of fashion action and a few drinks and some top racing! A good opportunity to give those hats another workout
Miss Foxcroft in the winning Crown Oaks Day 'Fashions on the Field' outfit (taking her ultra cute Bonnie Evelyn for a second outing)
Alex is striking on Melbourne Cup Day in her pink and orange Bonnie Evelyn creation
Exciting stuff! Miss November is Lucy Farmer; visual artist, performance artist and stunning race goer. Check it out!
MODEL OF THE MONTH
Last Saturday the lovely Kelly Bannister and I trotted off to Caulfield for the Caulfield Cup, but without poor Bonnie. She was going to come but she was busy toiling away in the Hat Making Lair getting your orders ready. They’re all looking great by the way!
Melbourne yet again, couldn’t decide if it wanted to be cold, cloudy, sunny, hot or rainy so were treated to a bit of everything, including sunburn. (Red sunburn with an orange dress – colour blocking anyone?)
Luckily I had the best thing to protect me against the elements… a Bonnie Evelyn hat! I wore a Bonnie Evelyn vintage straw hat with silk ‘Marian’ flowers (named after our late aunt Marian who gave Bonnie the fabric). And after a few last-minute adjustments – Bonnie sewed some black beads in the centres of the flowers to tie in with my black shoes – I was set and ready. Kelly wore a vintage latte-coloured dress accompanied by a custom-made Bonnie Evelyn original hat. Bonnie used Paris Cloth (funnily enough, from Paris) and fabric from the hem of the dress to make the lace embellishments.
Kelly and I had fun strutting our stuff in the Chadstone Fashion Stakes and it was wonderful to see all the women go to so much effort with their outfits. However, I’m not going to lie, I think there were a few skirts that showed a little too much (if you can see undies, it’s clearly too short) and a few necklines that were too low (really, if you can see body piercings, it’s too much skin darling). But apart from a few exceptions, everyone looked divine. There was lots of bright colours, chunky heals, and of course black and beige and a few florals.
We chatted to some lovely Navy boys on their big day out at the races and had some hot racing tips thanks to Mum – we won $17 whole dollars between us! (We’re big spenders – good on ya Green Moon) Thanks for the tips Mum!
Photo of Kelly and Lucy from The Fashion Capital Facebook page, photo of the Chadstone Fashion Stakes from Caulfield Racing Facebook page. (The other pics are from Kelly’s shiny new iPhone).
Kelly looking gorgeous as always
On the lawn trying to find a horse
To see the beautiful photos of our new Model of the Month Miss October Jemma Thomas, click here.
- The stunning Jemma Thomas
The winning Yellowglen Vintage Hat by Bonnie Evelyn Millinery with the lovely Bonnie Evelyn herself. Photo from: http://www.facebook.com/yellowglen
What an exciting event Hatstravagance was for Bonnie Evelyn Millinery! The glamour of two catwalk parades, being photographed for Melbourne newspaper The Age, and winning the Yellowglen Vintage Hat competition! That’s right, Bonnie Evelyn Millinery walked away with the prize – all that research has certainly paid off!!
The hat (entitled ‘Lady Yellowglen’) wowed the judges with its scrumptious display of two-toned yellow stripe abaca, natural coloured sinimay, hand-made cream silk satin flowers and a frothing array of Swarovski crystals, fire polished beads and fresh water pearls. The hat embodied the five sparkling wines in the Yellowglen Vintage Range and conjured thoughts of bubbles that never stop flowing, the taste of fresh Spring flavours and encompassed a new take on vintage glamour.
Lucy, Bonnie Evelyn and Kelly
Held at The Atrium at Flemmington Racecourse and sponsored by Yellowglen, Hatstravagance showcased the Spring collections from members of the Millinery Association of Australia through a morning and evening catwalk parade and a table for each milliner to sell their creations. We met many stylish women with a passion for millinery (the best fashion passion to have) and had lots of fun trying on hats at our spectacular stall. The venue looked beautiful, the bubbles were bubbly, the goodie bags were great (‘greatie’ bags?), the models looked divine, the staff were lovely, and all the hats were knock-your-socks-off FANTASTIC!
Thank you to Hoss from Boxwars for helping with our fantastic cardboard display, Kelly Bannister for again, snapping up some great shots for us, and of course, Meg Farmer, our darling mother whos unwavering support gets us through everything. Well done team!
Bonnie Evelyn and Lucy with the fantastic cardboard display ladies
- Working hard at the Bonnie Evelyn stall
Hats make you happy - another pic from the lovely Kelly Bannister.
Chaos has descended and Bonnie has been neglecting her blog writing duties, so I’ve stepped in, the good sister that I am. As you are well aware, the Melbourne Spring Racing season has begun and there’s half-finished hats galore at Bonnie Evelyn HQ. Look to the left: there’s a mountain of orders. Look to the right: there’s half-made hats waiting to be completed and sold to a loving home. Look up: there’s fabric hanging off the light. Look down: um, actually, don’t look down, the floor’s a mess at the moment. (Be sure to always wear shoes around here – stray pins are not friends of your feet.)
Amongst all this bedlam, Bonnie is also preparing for Hatstravagance at Flemmington Racecourse – a millinery extravaganza where members of the Millinery Association of Australia parade a hat for each of the major Flemmington races. Team Bonnie Evelyn will be there in full force presenting you with exquisite hats and head-pieces of divine beauty and ethereal elegance, which will be displayed in a catwalk parade then available for sale at our stall.
Yellowglen, the official sparkling wine of the Melbourne Cup Carnival is holding a millinery prize inspired by the Yellowglen Vintage Range for the milliners involved in Hatstravagance. The hat Bonnie has made for the competition is superb (so says proud big sis) but you’ll just have to see it to believe it! Book your ticket now – it’s a millinery event not to be missed! Thursday 29th September 2011 – details for the event can be found here.
To see the photos of our beautiful Miss September 2011 Alex Foxcroft – please click here
Alex Foxcroft looking foxy in red
