ENGLISH MILLINER REACHES FOR THE STARS AND GETS THE MOON

Our HAT heroine Woody Whittick

English Couture Milliner Woody Whittick is a real talent. We saw some of her hats and then got the whole story. It seems it was an illness and major surgery that got Whittick closer to her passion for hats and hat making.

Her hard work and enthusiasm for her work has many others impressed as well. She trained at the Wombourne School of Millinery in England, the Leeds College of Art & Design, and with couture milliner Peter Kingston Youel.

Her awards are - the Craftsmanship Award at the 2004 Millinery competition at Worshipful Company of Feltmakers. She won a prize for “Best Hat” on Ladies Day at the races in 2004, the British Hat Guild competition for new Patrons in 2005 and is short-listed for a “Tiara Designer of the Year” competition and a national entrepreneurship competition
(see www.barclays.co.uk/tradingplaces).

Her hats have been exhibited at the Luton Museum ("Crowning Glories" exhibition 2004 celebrating 400 years of hat making), the Stockport Hat Museum ("What's Hot" exhibition of new designers' work), Profile 6 (as emerging designer during London Fashion Week, Autumn 2005), Harrogate and the Textile Centre of Excellence, and on the catwalks of designers Kal Kaur Rai, Co Cu Corset Couture, Lynx Womens wear and Coates Couture.

Woody made hats for Calendar TV's "Wedding of the Year" series on ITV Yorkshire, appeared on BBC's "Castle in the Country,” and was interviewed by Nicki Chapman (of "Pop Idol" fame).

“She’s All That” includes hats, fascinators, tiaras, handbags and jewelry - her website is (www.shesallthat.biz), and she has a retail boutique, “She’s All That,” in Wetherby, England. The store sells headwear, footwear, bags, scarves, wraps and jewelry for women and men.

Recently Whittick was chosen as the Official Hat-maker for the Otway World Tour (see www.otair.co.uk for details). John Otway is a very well-known singer in the UK.

We hear Whittick “Quite simply rocks!” and is an inspiration to others who have overcome physical hardship to become successful – and all this in only three years.

Her portfolio can be seen at www.shesallthat.biz.

Congratulations to Woody for her passion for Headwear and her commitment to Excellence.

Couture Milliner Woody Whittick created this asymmetrical wool felt hat with spiral trimming edged in red velvet with ostrich feather. This unique hat won the Craftsmanship Award in a Millinery competition and was on display at the Luton Museum in England as part of the "Crowning Glories" exhibition celebrating 400 years of British hat-making. Model: Georgia Horsley – photographer: Nicola Mellen.

 
This merry widow veiling is made of dotted Swarovski crystals. The hat is trimmed with peacock sword feathers and a Swarovski crystal dragonfly with wings made from acid-etched sheet silver.
 

Georgia is wearing a flower headpiece made from bespoke-dyed sinamay petals with rolled edges. The "stamens" are made of colored wire with 8 different colors of Swarovski crystals.

Model Georgia Horsley was "Miss York 2005” – and all of the photos were taken by Nicola Mellen of Leeds, UK.

Goergia Horsley courtesy of www.eventsconnect.co.uk
Photography courtesy of www.nicolamellen.co.uk