everything old is new again...to me

i think i've always been drawn to things that are vintage. maybe because we had a significant number of family heirlooms around when i was a kid that i had free access to. some were objects, like my great grandmother's stereoscope and i decent collection of cards for it. but many were family photos, dating as far back as the 1880s.some of these were pictures of people i never knew, and many were ones even my older family members couldn't quite identify. my favorites, of course were of my mom and grandma.

Grandma and Grandpa at Asbury Park in the 1920s. When you could rent a swimsuit!

mom in high school, back in the 1940s

forgotten photos are always being unearthed, but there are a bunch that i would look at again and again when i was a kid...mostly of my mom and dad when they were in their 20s. mom worked in the accounting department of a pharmaceutical company for 20 years, starting when she was just 18, and didn't marry until her late 30s. as a result, there are many wonderful pictures of her as a single girl from the 1950s, and i've always found her style of dressing from back then to be incredibly inspiring. her hair and makeup were always perfect, and her dresses were to die for. ah, if only those were still around as the photos are...

i suppose that's why vintage styles are always reflected in my work, especially my millinery. when designing for myself, i am frequently drawn to the eras captured by those photographs, from the 1920s - 1950s. i love going through photos from vintage catalogs and recreating what i see. the colors are often left to my own interpretation, but i try to stay in the range i see in actual samples from the time. it can be a challenge, as a photograph doesn't let you see exactly how things are put together, but that's often the fun part.

Mid 1920s toque, silk and velvet, based on a photo from a Sear's catalog. Photo by Jivelle Callendar

1920s straw helmet cloche. Photo by Jivelle Callendar

1940s inspired hand draped wool cocktail hat. Photo by Jivelle Callendar

i have a goal: to create a hat from every decade, starting around 1900 and working forward. some decades may call for more pieces, as fashion tends to evolve quickly over the span of 10 years. i sometimes go through periods when i get stuck on a certain era, where i'll obsess about veils or flower placement. but i suppose there are worse things to be addicted to than fashion magazines from the 1940s...

cocktail hat with vintage veil and flowers

hand blocked miniature wool fedora. Photo by Jivelle Callendar

feathered fascinator with vintage flowers. Photo by Jivelle Callendar

this could be a lifelong task. every time i do more research, i see a new and sometimes unexpected style. i'm constantly finding vintage bits and pieces to add to the mix. it really is an infinite process. but i can think of little better to do with my time than reconnect with all of that history that came before me and honor it in my own small way. one feather and flower at a time.