A Time For Hats

How marvellous of you to know exactly the right hat to wear at seven o'clock in the morning to meet a friend who has been away.

- Oscar Wilde

Speaking of friends and hats, I'd like to introduce my fabulous friend, Kelly Christy*. She made my piece-of-candy-hat (above photo)for my wedding, specifically to match the fabric of my dress (which was my mom's). And she makes a ton of other hats, too!

She's been in the biz for years. And with so few true milliners around these days, it's best to go to the source. She makes mens and womens and everything you never knew you needed but once you see it you have to have it! When I lived in nyc, I used to hang out at her shop and try on all the hats. If someone would walk in while I was playing around, I'd offer to try on any hat they wanted to see. I became an un-official model of kelly's hats (or, at least that's how I remember it!). We could talk about hats, fabric, feathers and trim for hours on end. Some of my sweetest memories are hanging out at Kelly's old shop on Elizabeth Street. Many a day we spent sitting on her special little wooden chairs out front, Kelly pounding out a hat, me, just people watching. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her and they would stop and talk about the 'hood and how it was changing so quickly. It came to pass that even Kelly's shop would change. It's no wonder at this point; have you seen Elizabeth Street lately?

Luckily, the brilliance lives on in a nearby studio suited with an orange door (pure serendipity, that happens to be Kelly's logo color, as well). And if you live in the new york area, well, she's even started teaching classes. There is a part two of the classes, not yet listed, but if you're interested, you should give them a call.

Everyone needs at least one hat.

*i just found these funny little notes i'd made when i was hanging out with kelly last month in nyc: kelly christy taught me about the "glass" of beer as opposed to the whole pint. She taught me anything goes, but manners still count. She always know how to put a silver lining on something.