Weekend Review: Studio Secrets Millinery

 

Studio Secrets: Millinery / Estelle Ramousse & Fabienne Gambrelle
trans. from the French by Cicero Translations
Tunbridge Wells, UK: Search Press, 2010, c2007.
119 p.

This book is an interesting mix; it features a French milliner, sharing her story and her workshop, as well as a touch of millinery history from France. It even visits the workshop of a 92 yr old milliner who still works out of her home. The second half of the book then shares patterns and instructions for 5 'cut and sewn' hats, 2 that are more complicated and need to be blocked, and some ideas for customizations. 

There are lots of images, particularly for the instructions in the pattern section. This is very helpful if you want to give one a try. There are a variety of styles, from a headband to a cap, beret and wide brimmed hat or even a cloche. They talk about the technique and show each step as well as including a gallery at the end of all the hats being worn on heads. If you have any interest in trying to make a hat, this would be a fun book to check out. 

I enjoyed the French feel of this book as well, particularly in the visit to 92 yr old Madame Galanter's studio -- although this is only two pages she comes across as quite a character. The reliance of hats in general has dropped in our social milieu but the skills are still being practiced by a select few and it was great to read about them here. 

The patterns included are generally wearable ones, and I was pleased that so many styles that can be easily sewn at home are featured. You don't need many specialty items to make them up either, aside from some quality grosgrain or adhesive interfacings. The two that need blocking are definitely for the more advanced amateur as they require more skill and more supplies as well. The only thing that put me off a little was the inclusion of what they called a "Chinese style cap", influenced by the Maoist style. I'm not a fan of taking inspiration from oppressive regimes no matter what purpose. The cap itself is quite nicely made & doesn't look militaristic, and the introduction talks about many different styles of caps, so not sure why they went with this reference.

In any case, overall this was a fun little book with some good patterns and lots of visual inspiration. It was well laid out and would give any aspiring home hatmaker some solid starting points.

Weekend Review: Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler

Some Girls, Some Hats & Hitler / Trudi Kanter
NY: Scribner, c2012
272 p.

This was an unusual read -- a memoir first published in 1984 in England, then rediscovered a decade or so ago and republished. It follows the life of Trudi Kanter, an Austrian milliner who used her business to escape Hitler's incursions into Austria (after many struggles). 

It has a different take on WWII; Trudi is very focused on her business and her relationship, not so much on politics or social action. This story is about her. She's a regular person trying to keep her head down and not get involved in everything that's going on, rather, she wants to keep her life the way it is and continue her sewing and hatmaking without any disturbance. 

Unfortunately for her, being in the midst of Germany's invasion and being a Jewish woman, that doesn't happen. 

The story is full of incidents told clearly and plainly -- how she talks her way into a buying trip outside of Austria even when travel is restricted, how clients in England assist their escape, and how her parents stay in Austria thinking it can't possibly get worse (they do eventually get out). She describes her workroom and the women in it, and the way that some of them remain loyal to Trudi despite everything, and some not so much. The discussion of her business and the day to day work, and her own clothing as well as her husband's outfits, is of course of great interest too. 

I've seen some readers mention that they felt this was too 'lightweight' to be a proper WWII memoir, but I think that might be a bias against fashion as a serious topic coming through. Trudi does not hide the difficulties they faced, but she does use her connections and her own chutzpah to get them out of the country before they face any deportations or camps -- so that there is no element of that level of suffering here. That doesn't make her story any less compelling. 

The style is also very good. It moves along quickly, it has an intimate tone that draws you in, and her observational skills are finely honed. People leap to life in her words. The final chapter or so, describing their postwar life in England as businesspeople and refugees, is not quite as intense or complex, but hearing about how Trudi got them back on track after being displaced makes you admire this tough woman who could take care of herself. 

I thought it was a good read, another viewpoint via a personal account of those years from someone outside of Germany but still caught up in the growing disaster. If you're interested in millinery, women in business, the Austrian experience of German invasion, or a look at people with all their flaws showing, this will interest you.