Classic Millinery Techniques: A Complete Guide to Making & Designing Today's Hats (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Osnat Lustig (Author), Ted Morrison (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Several generations ago every woman wore hats. Now they function mainly as weather protection, period costuming, or special fashion accessories. Both of these books deal with stylish dress hats. Albrizio, a teacher at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Lustig offer step-by-step projects for making berets, pillboxes, or turbans from scratch. Terry takes plain straw or felt hats and adds colorful embellishments such as ribbons, feathers, or artificial flowers. Both books are full of techniques and ideas for making that special fashion statement. Recommended for public libraries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

This volume offers complete instructions for making and designing a variety of classic hat styles, written by an award-winning professional milliner. Chapters are ordered by level of difficulty and a gallery of contemporary hats is included for inspiration.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (NC); 1st edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157990016X
• ISBN-13: 978-1579900168
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #781,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hat lovers' dream how-to book, March 21, 2000

By	allison taylor (orange county, california) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Author based this book on the first of five millinery courses in the curriculum she designed for the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC - and it looks every bit that comprehensive. Lots of full color photos show many possibilities for several contamporary hat types, and all the photos are based on the techniques outlined in the book. Covers straw and fabric boaters, basic band berets, 2-piece and stylized berets, basic turbans, pillboxes, cloches, visors, round blocked crowns, stylized shaped brims, cocktail/Juliet caps, and garlands. Author touches on design, spends a generous amount of pages on construction steps, 4 pages of glossary, 3 pages of sources, 2 pages on starting a small millinery busines, and adequately covers measurements. Trimming info includes feathers in detail, silk flowers, fasteners, horsehair, and fabric roses/bows. She includes many helpful hints, descriptions of basic millinery stitches, fabric do's and don'ts, and a very comprehensive list of supplies. Author says this book is sufficient to aid you in making professional quality hats, and I believe her. But prepare to acquire some new tools unless you already have a well-stocked workroom. Even a non-hat-wearer like myself gets excited by the possibilities of building great original headwear. For anyone who loves wearing original hats, or for a cocktail party regular, this would be a perfect gift. Can't think of anything that I would add to this book, except more, more, more photos!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Milliner ~ Hatmaker, February 9, 2002

By A Customer

Lovely compelation of photos that go hand in hand w/ technique.
Gets you to jump right in making hats starting w/ basic techniques. An easy to follow learning method that moves you along starting w/ the basic cut and sew and moving on to more advaced methods.
Follow her suggested guide lines for using the book.
Are you the hands on type? Get this book. Youll be wearing a hat you made in no time.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence., October 10, 2001

By	Desiree (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I'm a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where the author of this book has taught. Currently I am taking a millinery class there, where it was recommended that I buy this book. It's a perfect supplement to any millinery class, and to use after the classes when you're doing things on your own as a guide. One thing though: There was a mix-up with the photos on page 51. It's a confusing subject anyway so I think I should point out... Millinery belting ribbon, as Ann describes, has a scalloped edge; and grosgrain ribbon, which isn't used in hats (at least for the inside band) has a straight edge. The little diagram photos must have gotten mixed up, and they show the opposite. Otherwise, a wonderful book with very professional techniques (techniques you can only get from someone with serious professional and industrial experience).