Australian milliner Karen Hamilton has been creating hats for more than 10 years. Following her training in London, she’s been flitting between her millinery in Melbourne and Dubai, creating bespoke headwear for clients from around the world. She’s back at the Dubai World Cup this year, working round the clock for her clients. She spared a few minutes to talk everything hats and why we should never use the words fascinators and hatinators.
How do you decide between a fascinator or a hat? What about hatinators?
Technically there is no such thing as a fascinator or hatinator. These are made-up names. The correct terminology is headpieces or hats. A bunch of feathers glued onto a comb or headband is still called a headpiece. The customer discusses their budget and their needs and what will enhance their outfit and that will determine whether I make a headpiece or a full-on hat or anything in between.
What’s the first thing you need to know when buying a hat?
Your budget. Your style. Your expectations.
What are the top trends this year?
Wearing [one] colour for the entire outfit.
What are the biggest mistakes people make when buying a hat?
Not putting enough emphasis on the importance of your headwear. Women are prepared to spend on expensive shoes, bags, dresses, but down-class the whole outfit with cheap headwear. The hat/headpiece should be your statement as well as the final complement to the rest of your outfit.
What if you’re on a really tight budget but still want to wear a headpiece?
Stunning headpieces can still be made on a tight budget using less expensive materials and less intricate designs.
You have been designing hats for many years. How have the trends evolved over the years?
Gone are the mass of wild feathered headpieces . We are now trending towards more elegant, tailored hats. Large saucer-type hats became popular and more traditional crown and brim hats are still favoured although modern twists have been implemented. Pillboxes are back in fashion with trims varying from veiling to flowers; male-style hats like trilbies and fedoras are becoming popular in ladies wear.
Wearing structural headpieces and hats that are centred in the middle of the head (called perchers) has become extremely popular. This shape requires a lot of engineering for the milliner to work out how to have this piece literally standing up yet be secure on the head and structurally sound.
With the constant introduction of new millinery materials and the quality of these materials, it’s made it possible to design new and exciting shapes and styles. We now use leather, plastic, wire and lace as the base for hats and headpieces and virtually anything can be considered for hatmaking.
What next for you?
To continue making hats after the Dubai World Cup. I have orders already for Ascot racing in June as well as summer weddings to design for. After the European summer, I then head back to Melbourne ready for the spring racing carnival.
THE DETAILS
You can find Karen Hamilton on www.facebook.com/karenhamiltonmillinery. Tickets to the Dubai World Cup, inclusive of the after-race concert featuring Janet Jackson, start at Dh450 for Apron Views. Other hospitality packages are also available. For more information, go to www.meydan.ae.
