Hat making at Atelier Millinery

It’s so quickly that I forget how satisfying making something can be – not just making but really crafting something and seeing the finished result. Yesterday I spent five hours cutting, steaming, sewing and moulding and the time went in a flash. I was at the gorgeous new Atelier Millinery just off Carnaby Street – at an afternoon’s millinery course, a birthday present from my very thoughtful friends (they know me SO well!).

I was booked in for the Sinamay Headpiece course. I had no idea what Sinamay was, but I soon learnt that it’s the by-product of banknote production in Thailand, and its original form is banana leaf. The stiff, woven fabric-like material can be cut, folded and moulded to make elaborate headpieces. So there I found myself, at the back of the Atelier drinking tea and eating biscuits, learning how to create a black-and-pink oversized bow headpiece that involved cutting, folding and steaming the fabric into stiff ribbons, stretching and moulding them into the desired shape and then painstakingly sewing the whole thing together.

From this….

To this….

I’d highly recommend one of the Atelier’s courses –they offer everything from how to craft panamas, cloche hats and 50s scull caps to classic fascinators and floral corsages. The boutique is also perfect for anyone looking for a vintage-style wedding hat or headpiece to buy – they have a great range of high-quality hats; plus ribbons, buttons and corsages if you’re making your own.

Readers’ Vintage Weddings: Jo and Robert

Jo has her own vintage headdress and accessories business in Hampshire but travelled to the majestic Banff Springs hotel in Canada for a magical winter wedding. 

The theme: 30s elegance and old Hollywood glamour. A Jenny Packham “Alice” gown, feather boas and pearls as table décor.

 

Homemade things: Jo made her own alternative bouquet out of her Grandmother’s vintage brooches and her unique head-dress from vintage gems and jewellery. For favours, they bought old-fashioned sweets from the local shop in Banff and placed them in wine glasses along with handwritten thank-you notes. 

 

Vintage tips: Jo recommends sourcing vintage from the suppliers featured on Love My Dress – where she found her veil and bolero, which she finished off with a huge vintage brooch.

I've included some of Jo's gorgeous vintage creations below, that you can find on her website.

Vintage wedding jewellery ideas

I haven’t even begun to contemplate jewellery yet, but my colleague Sue sent me a link Sarah Drew’s handmade collection of vintage bridal headdresses and necklaces, and I couldn’t resist posting a couple of pictures up. Sarah cleverly combines antique brooches, lace, pearls and gems to create one-off pieces, and you can even provide your own brooch to personalise a look.

I love the sound of her Boutique Bridal Jewellery Weekends that she hosts in Cornwall: a weekend of making your own bridal or bridesmaid’s jewellery and even wedding rings – perfect for a pre-wedding bonding session with your bridesmaids or a creative and crafty hen do.

Rio Rio

As I tap away on my laptop I can hear the sound of waves crashing on the shoreline and the faint beat of a samba drum in the distance... I've been lucky enough to come to Rio for carnival, where my senses have been overloaded with inspiration - they certainly know how to throw a party here (and there isn't a planner in sight)!

I spent my first day visiting some of the city's atelier-boutiques hidden inside residential buildings in the Jardim Botanico area. I loved these beer bottles recycled into vases and covered in colourful fabric at the Dona Coisa boutique on Rua Lopes Quintas:

And  I thought these headbands could make pretty bridesmaids' headpieces at the Atelier Clementtina (the space reminded me of a Brazilian Cath Kidston and it had its own courtyard garden where you could have coffee or a manicure!)

More Rio highlights to follow, but first I couldn't resist putting up a picture of the view from my "desk"...