Mardi Gras 2022 Collection

Handmade hat collection made to order for Mardi Gras 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

All hats are custom one of a kind and were worn during Mardi Gras day.

---

Mardi Gras Millinery 2020

As I sit here in my millinery studio in New Orleans in a state mandated stay in place order, all I can think about is my cancelled Spring events! It is hard to stay positive when you know that Spring is your busiest hat making time of the year, and I can’t make hats for luncheons, races, garden parties, museum fundraisers, and so much more. As we all collectively wait for our lives to go back to a new normal and for states to open up, I can only pray that we will have events this Summer/Fall. This article is not about quarantine or cancelations. This article is about Mardi Gras Day 2020.  

In New Orleans, Mardi Gras Day is the biggest day of the year. For locals, Mardi Gras is more than Bourbon St. and catching beads. Mardi Gras is about making art, costumes and magic. Mardi Gras 2020 was a huge game changer for me professionally. I was hired to create hats for the Queen of Mardi Gras, her mother and her court. I also had the good fortune to be able to collaborate with two local dress designers Suzanne Perron and Kathleen Van Horn. We worked together for half a year making sure the hats matched the suits perfectly. I was presented with a new challenge of having to hire assistant and worked many long hours blocking and trimming hats in order to meet the deadline. It was important for my hat designs to be a reflection of my aesthetic, but most importantly I wanted to capture my clients personality and style.

I started working on the Mardi Gras hat orders in September 2019 and finished all the orders a week before Mardi Gras day. It was so rewarding every time I closed a hatbox with a finished custom hat. On Mardi Gras day seeing all the ladies dressed up in their suits and hats was such an emotional and proud moment for me.

I’m so thankful for this wonderful experience, for the support of my family and friends.

Watch the toast below.

<

---

---

News With a Twist: ‘This isn’t your grandmother’s hat,’ Local milliner creates hats with a twist

“Seeing women looking good and knowing that hat was made for them, that it fits them properly, it’s amazing. It’s as good as like a high-end bag or shoe. You are making those investments, so make an investment on a nice hat.”

This spring I was interviewed by Karla Bettucci from WGNO News with a Twist. We had fun time and she asked me tons of questions about hat making and the millinery process! I love talking about millinery and my process.

Watch the full segment here:

https://wgno.com/2019/03/06/this-isnt-your-grandmothers-hat-local-milliner-does-it-old-school-with-new-flare/

---

NEW ORLEANS -- With so much technology and equipment, there are very few people who still make clothes and accessories by hand.

However, one local woman is changing the game by hand crafting the ultimate accessory for your head.

Maria Etkind is designing hats the old fashioned way and considers herself to be a milliner.

The term milliner became popular in the mid 1500s in London and described the fashion that came from Milan, Italy.

Over time, the trend has changed and even declined until the royals brought the look back like Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana.

Etkind says the love of hat making all started when she was living in Holland.

She took many classes and fell in love with the unique process.

Now, she runs her own business out of her home in New Orleans using techniques that are over 100 years old and incorporates a few new aged methods as well.

"I work with sinamay which is a hand-woven straw from the Philippines. I use 3 layers. I wet it, and then I block it into the block, whatever shape that is," says Etkind.

Then, she embellishes the hat with different materials like feathers, felt pieces, veiling, quails, and more.

It's a personalized process that helps Etkind work directly with individuals to customize their hats depending on the event, the outfit, and even the time of year.

"Seeing women looking good and knowing that hat was made for them, that it fits them properly, it's amazing. It's as good as like a high-end bag or shoe. You are making those investments, so make an investment on a nice hat," says Etkind.

Etkind says she worked around the clock this Mardi Gras season.

She created hats for the ladies in the Krewe of Iris and for the debutantes who attended the Rex parade.