Adrien Vanore
I was fortunate to have been born into an artistic family so it seemed inevitable that I would find my own unique form of creative expression. I grew up and continue to live in Bailey Colorado hence it was with great anticipation and excitement when I was accepted as a member of River Canyon Gallery. My mother is a weaver and fellow member who taught me about fiber arts from an extremely early age. My father hand-crafts bamboo fly fishing rods and taught me about the importance of finishing a work. In my effort to find my own voice, I attended Emily Griffith School’s professional sewing program. As I have always had a focus on costuming and ensemble, hat-making seemed a natural addition to my skill-set. I quickly fell in love with the art form and have since designed my own patterns and learned free-form structure. With the exception of round or oval-shaped, full-size hats, all of my patterns are original. Millinery is a term typically confined to women’s hats, whereas haberdashery is typically associated with men’s wear. My designs are not necessarily gender specific. I believe that lies in the eye of the beholder. In either case, the method of construction remains the same. All of my hats and fascinators are made in traditional fashion: a buckram and wire base is covered with mull (usually felt, sometimes fleece) and finished off with fashion fabrics. Each piece is individually sewn: crown, side-band, and brim are all joined together with invisible stitches. Also in traditional style, linings are not sewn to the body of the hat; this allows for repairs and alterations to be easily made. All pieces are hand-stitched; the only aspect that is machine sewn on any of my hats or fascinators is the lining. Fascinators are miniaturized hats or any sort of head-piece that must be “fastened” to the head or hair. The history of these items goes back centuries. They have been popularized at many times over the years and have, in more recent days, become staples of royal fashions, costuming, and a variety of subcultures. Embellishment is what makes each piece truly unique. I have no set structure for how to embellish a head-piece so each finished piece is unlike any other. Some items are found, some are purchased. Every head-piece tells its own story!
