MIMC 2021: People's Choice Award Winner

“Jazz Funeral” This hat was designed to honor New Orleanians who have died due to Covid 19.

Concept Development:

When I decided to enter the MIMC hat competition last fall I wasn’t sure what hat design I wanted to create. The theme this year was “little black dress”. I started thinking about what a little black dress meant to me. My first thought was, “What are we supposed to celebrate during this pandemic?” I kept just thinking about wearing a black dress to a funeral. I remembered reading the news in April of 2020 that Ellis Marsalis a famous New Orleans jazz musician, mentor and icon had died from COVID. His family wasn’t going to be able to have a “jazz funeral”. Back in April, New Orleans was leading the nation in COVID cases and the majority of deaths were and still are in the African American community. I knew I had to make a hat honoring all the people that have died of COVID and other causes and couldn’t have a proper funeral. I wanted to make a hat that celebrates life.

I knew that I would have to ship the hat to Melbourne, Australia. This meant that I had to keep the hat small due to international shipping cost! In the US the cost scales with the dimensions of the box, not just the weight. I knew I had to keep my cost down, so the hat had to be small. I also knew I had to allow 4-6 weeks for the hat to get there. As you might remember the USPS had collapsed this past holiday season do to high demand! My work began in early Dec., so that my hat would arrive before the deadline which was the first week February.

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“Once a person is buried, you have the second line. It’s the party, the good time, the celebration of life,” Marsalis said. “It’s a community’s responsibility to celebrate the life of someone. Even if I didn’t know them, I pull out my umbrella, get my best dancing shoes on, and we’re gonna have a good time.”

— Ellis Marsalis

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Melbourne International Milliners Competition:

The MIMC hat competition 2021 had a total of 80 entries from all over the world this year. It was great to see that 3 of my fellow Milliners Guild members and friends also participated. I was honored to be in the top 20 finalists. The top 20 announcement was made LIVE on their MIMC Instagram social media account and can be watched on their IGTV. The finalist were then announced on Feb. 21 also via IGTV. You can watch it here.

I am happy to announce that I won People’s Choice Award! This award is given to the milliner that gets the most email votes!

Thank you to all who voted for me and verified their emails!

My artist statement: Jazz Funeral (Entry 28)
When people die in New Orleans, their families and friends celebrate their passing with a “jazz funeral” by filling the streets with music – a celebration of the person’s life as much as a mourning of their death. The brass band starts playing sad music but soon the procession turns into a joyous celebration and everybody dances as they become part of the “second line”. The hat “Jazz Funeral” was created to honor New Orleanians who died due to COVID. The colors purple/black symbolize spirituality, creativity, royalty and mourning.

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The process of making the competition a couture hat:

Starting the blocking several layers of straw, putting together the trim and starting the feather pompom.

Trying on the hat and adding the trim, cutting lots of ostrich feathers to create a pom pom, finsihing the lining.

It takes a village

A huge THANK YOU to Catherine and Team Essential, Melbourne International Millinery Competition, Presented by The Essential Hat and the judges; Todd Anthony, Lauren Ritchie and Philip Rhodes.

Photo Credits: @mimc_competition

• @theessentialhat

• Photographer: Stavros Sakellaris @stavrofoto

• Stylist: @two.sewing.sisters

• Location: @lcimelbourne

• Model: @_simran._

• HAMU: @tcamakeup_hmua

Also a big thank you to my family, friends and fellow milliners for voting for me! I wouldn’t be here with out your love and support!

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You can watch Dr. John’s jazz funeral (2019):

Dr. John Second Line following his Memorial Celebration at the Orpheum Theater.

Listen to the Spotify second line playlist “Dancing in the streets” created by the New Orleans Historic Collection for their current exhibit Dancing in the Streets: Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs. You know your in New Orleans when you hear track seven!

Maria Etkind Millinery is on the TV show "Filthy Rich"

Sinamay fascinator with silk flowers and black crinoline trim. Black lace was added later to match the actors costume. as seen on Filthy Rich (Season One).

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Oh my what a year it has been! Looking back on 2020 I can say that this year didn’t NOT I repeat didn’t know go as planned!

In January, I had the opportunity to create a hat for Mrs. Donna Edwards. In February, I was able to see my work on the Queen of Mardi Gras and her court! I was on a roll! I then quickly shifted gears to focus on Spring orders for garden parties, luncheons, Easter parades and the Derby. To my surprise I also had a few new and interesting millinery opportunities in the works. But as you know the world stopped and life as we know it got cancelled due to COVID-19. This has been VERY heartbreaking for all of us regardless of your profession.

But everything hasn’t been doom and gloom! I am happy to report that I finished the year on a high note. Because one of my fascinators was featured in Fox’s show Filthy Rich show starting Kim Cattrall. You may know her as Samantha from Sex in the City. Filthy Rich was filmed in New Orleans, Louisiana and premiered its first season Fall 2020. New Orleans is better known as Hollywood South and we always have several movie/tv production filming around the city and in the state. One of my millinery goals has always been to have my work be featured in TV/Film.

It has been a crazy millinery year! I have had moments of great success, moments of pause, moments of fearing that my business won’t make it. I don’t know what the future holds. Mardi Gras 2021 is cancelled this year which hurts. Spring hat events are most likely also cancelled. I am trying to stay a positive and finding ways to pivot. I am staying involved in millinery by volunteering my time as a board member in the Milliners Guild, writing for Hatlines, starting to teach basic millinery classes via Zoom and working on small capsule collections. I would love to have more of my work in film and TV. Hopefully, I will have a hat or on the big screen in 2022! Which means I better get to work on that goal!

"Solidarity in Style" online exhibit

White felt hat with a hand dyed and handmade feather pouf. Silk scarf handmade by Claire Sanchez

It’s important to wear your hat creations! I voted!

It’s a very important election year! Women all over the US are celebrating and recognizing the100th anniversary of the women’s suffragist movement.

The women's suffragist movement started in the early 19th century and continued well past the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. It took nearly 50 years for voting rights to be extended to black women. It really was a long process, achieved only through the courage and perseverance of some extraordinary American women. I recently participated in the online “Solidarity in Style” Milliners Guild women’s suffragist hat exhibit. The main goal for the Milliners Guild exhibit was to find inspiration through numerous women who fought so hard and dedicated their lives to our future and our right to vote. As women, we have always been able to come together to make change and pave the way for young women of the future as well as find strength in one another and celebrate each other’s accomplishments with grace and dignity.

View the complete Solidarity in Style Online Exhibit.

Hand blocked a vintage cream wool felt. The hat block shape is a deeply indented homburg style

Luisa Capetillo is remembered by many in Puerto Rico as the first woman to wear pantalones (pants) in public, Capetillo was far from a fashion icon. She was a pioneer in addressing the problems facing the working class, the condition of women and children, and the importa­­nce of labor organizing in the island.

My suffragist was Luisa Capetillo (October 28, 1879 – October 10, 1922) was one of Puerto Rico's most famous labor leaders. She was a social labor organizer and a writer who fought for equal rights for women's rights, free love and human emancipation. 

I chose Luisa because, she was a Hispanic American like myself and also very close to my age when she died of tuberculosis. She was considered to be PR first women’s suffragist. She organized women’s union and tobacco workers and created a newspaper called “La Mujer”. In 1919, she challenged the mainstream society by becoming the first woman in Puerto Rico to wear pants in public. She was sent to jail. She insisted that all women should have the same right to vote as men. 

Artist Statement: My hat design was influenced by Luisa choice of wearing men’s clothing. She would often also wear a men’s fedora hat. I can only assume that she wore men’s clothing in order to blend in, but I think it had the opposite effect. She was often thrown in jail for doing so. Women weren’t allowed to wear pants let alone dress like a man. 

I wanted my hat to be gender fluid. A hat design that Luisa could have worn with a suit or a dress. I created a brimless white felt fedora hat and hand dyed feather ostrich pouf in yellow and purple which are the colors identified with the suffragist movement of the 1920, the pouf creates movement and signifies non-conformity. Puerto Rico the island is neither a state of the United States nor a sovereign one therefore they can’t vote in the US elections. They are actively seeking the right to vote!   

“Do not buy finery or jewels, because books are worth more than they are. Adorn your understanding with their precious ideas, because there is no luxury that dazzles like the luxury of science.”

— Luisa Capetillo

Making a hat for Luisa:

I hand blocked a vintage cream wool felt. The hat block shape is a deeply indented homburg style. I then hand dyed two ostrich feathers in light purple and one in yellow. I created a feather pouf by following a tutorial from the HatMagazine Issue #82 Aug. 2019.