Welcome to Kay's Art of millinery, I am Kay, and for those new to the Millinery Art and to me, I am a native of California and have been in the Millinery business more than twenty years. My designs have been sold in California and other states, including Hawaii, and I have taught millinery classes at various locations including LA colleges and community centers. Through the years, people have asked me how I became interested in the millinery art. The fact is, halfway through my career with a large communication company, it went on strike.
Faced with the uncertainty of when the strike would end, I decided to start a business making hats after being inspired by Princess Diana who was a hat wearer. I decorated bridal frames purchased from fabric stores, and customer requests for other types of hats led me on a quest to find a local millinery school. During the 1970’s and 80’s as with other years, hats were very popular in the states and both men and women were wearing them as fashion statements. People participating in weddings, graduations, social events and many women in African American churches were also wearing hats regularly.
Having no formal training, I looked for millinery schools and learned most were located on the east coast, but traveling was not an option for me at the time. The only classes that held any possibility of being attended in the LA area were being taught by private citizens in their homes. Unfortunately, they were booked in advance and had waiting lists. I later learned the classes were filled with continuing students who knew they had to learn all they could.……. while they could.
It didn’t take long to realize the art I wanted so desperately to learn was one of the best kept secrets. Very few instructors wanted to share what they knew, which is still the case in many instances. But, I was determined to find a class on the west coast, and with the help of a friend, I eventually found one of the top Millinery Designers in this country. Her name is Wilma Rhea Gordon, and due to the illness and vacancy of one of her students, I was able learn the Art of Millinery. Much of what I learned came from Ms. Gordon’s teachings, some came from simple observations, and the rest a result of trying different processes on my own. Ms. Gordon passed on after sharing her wonderful art with me and a number of others, and the rest as they say is history.
For those wishing more information about the art and history of millinery click the above Millinery History link, and I hope you find it informative and enlightening. Click here to go back to my HATS 4 SALE page.
