Eggcup Designs custom makes fine ladies hats. It was started in 1996 by Constance "Conney" Borda who prior to that was a graphic artist, soon to become displaced by the computer.. It began as a hobby, quickly turned to an obsession, and now offers hats in major cities east of the Mississippi. It makes fine ladies hats the old fashion way. Each is blocked, lined and trimmed by hand from quality imported materials. Old fashion millinery is time consuming. However, this handworkmanship makes a long lasting accessory. Your Grandmother wore her hat for years.
There was a time when every lady wore a hat. And everyone of them looked great.
They understood that the right style enhanced their appearance. It did so, as it does today, by balancing the features while framing the face with color and design. You could call it a beautiful optical illusion that you can't stop looking at.
Our line has aproximately 60 hats for spring/summer and 60 for fall/winter. There are caps, cloches, fedoras and cocktail hats. Cocktail hats are small brimless jewels that are perfect for the close quarters of a cocktail party.
THE HAT MAKING PROCESS
Hand Blocking
Hand blocking is the process of steaming and stretching hat material over a wooden shape called a hat block. In a couple of hours the material takes the shape of the block. This is a more delicate process than metal pressing or stamping which is used to mass produce hats. Hand blocking does not crush the knap or dull the vibrancy of colors. Straw hats that are machine blocked require more sizing and are stiffer than hand blocked hats.
Hand Lining
Linings create a comfort barrier between the hat and head. A Ladies hair should not get snagged in straw or matted against the hat. A good hat should be lined. We also hand block the lining before sewing it into the hat to insure a perfect fit.
Hand Trimming
Trimmings are sewn on not hot glued into place. They can be taken off and changed if desired. Removing a hot glued trim could ruin the hat.
MATERIALS
The raw material for a hat looks a little like a bell and is floppy. It is not wearable as a serious hat. Only the milliners skill makes it into a fashion statement.
For our fall/winter line we use fur velour. It is softer and more plush than fur felt or wool felt. Colors look more vibrant on velour. Velour is available in the season's popular colors..
In spring/summer we use hand woven straws from Central America, and Asia. It can take longer than 6 months for someone to hand weave a very high quality straw body. The straws are then dyed. The names of some of the straws that we use are: balibuntal, paribuntal, bakou, panama, parisisol, sinamay, jinsin and visca. Since many of these words are Asian in origin you may find them spelled differently in other texts. As with velour, straws are available in popular colors.
