Sept 10
Learn the insider secrets of millinery straight from the Parisian atelier of Estelle Ramousse. Whilst the book doesn't contain actual pattern templates it does demonstrate the techniques used to make a wide range of styles and makes a great accompaniment to purchased sewing patterns.
Following a brief introduction into the history of millinery, the book progresses to tools and equipment before embarking on cut and sewn hats. This section includes step-by-step techniques for making and trimming floral headbands, Chinese style cap, beret, pillbox and wide brimmed hat. The designs are classic shapes with a modern twist and provide a good basis for creating a whole range of designs for casual and formal occasions. The next chapter focuses on customising existing hats and making hats from other garments, while the last section looks at using hat frames or 'blocks' to create designs that are stretched, moulded and steamed into shape.
* SEWING WORLD *
Nov 10
This is a book about making hats; not just about actually making them yourself, but about the author and her studio in Paris. It also immerses you in an all but vanished world of haute couture where the golden age of hats (1850-1950) is celebrated.
The book starts with a brief history of hats and progresses to show the author's own studio, the tools she uses, some of the fascinating people she works with and more, evoking in a few words and photographs all the glamor and mystery of the fashion world.
I like the way the projects start off with a simple headdress made from cutout flowers, before progressing through caps, a beret, bibi and a wide-brimmed hat. All of these are illustrated with staged photographs and are a good introduction to hat making, although not for somebody who does not already havewithout a good fund of sewing expertise to draw upon. There is a section on making new hats from old hats, or remodelling other items, such as a denim shirt, which gives a taste of this type of activity. A couple more projects would have been great, but as this is normally omitted from other books on millinery, I was impressed that it was there at all.
For the advanced user who also has some space of the right kind, the last section is about making hat frames. Some of the items here will prove elusive, but this is a book with three sections for beginner (to millinery, not to sewing), intermediate and advanced hat makers, and so perhaps pleases everybody to some extent. A good book to have on your shelf if you are at all interested in this subject.
* Myshelf.com *
Mar/Apr 10
Featuring a range of beautiful caps, berets and wide-brimmed hats for every occasion under the sun, this book is a celebration of millinery around the world. Written by one of the world's most highly acclaimed and well know hat designers, Estelle Ramousse, it gives readers a rare and fascinating glimpse into the everyday life of an internationally recognised milliner, and reveals some of the best kep secrets of her age-old trade.
* Craft Business *
Dec 10
Parisian milliner Ramousse and Gambrelle (coauthor, Studio Secrets: Mosaics) celebrate the lost art of hat making with this lavishly illustrated volume. It begins with a brief history of millinery, followed by a tour of Ramousse's workroom, including a visit to the home of Albertine Galanter, a 92-year-old milliner who worked during millinery's midcentury golden age. It's unlikely that the average reader will have access to the specialized tools and materials used by professional milliners, but Ramousse provides a variety of patterns that can be easily replicated. Theatrical costumers will appreciate the attention to detail and technique.
* Library Journal, USA *
