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| Angie Hall Sandifer |
NEW HAT MAKER UP TO THE CHALLENGE
OF MAKING GREAT HATS
We just saw young hatmaker Angie Hall Sandifer
written up in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. So
we called her to find out who she is and what
she is all about.
The media is quite interested in new hatters,
so you might want to contact the fashion editor
or assignment editor of your local newspaper or
TV station. Here is what the papers said about
Sandifer and below are her comments about hat
business in general and her hat business.
Fashion:
Brrrring on the style
Sara Glassman
A little hat-itude can really up your winter
style. Milliner Angie Hall Sandifer has been hand-making
hats since 2005. Her winter collection is available
in cloches ($125 to $150 each) with grosgrain
ribbon trim. The materials include felt, velour
felt and beaver fur felt, such as these hats in
a rich leopard print (wide-brim hat, $250; cloche,
$150; fedora, $225). Pick from the bunch or have
the artist make one just for you -- that will
surely make you feel special and your ears warm.
Angie's Hats, http://www.angieshats.com/,
651-208-4442, and Artist Mercantile, 24 W. 7th
St., St. Paul, 651-222-0053. www.startribune.com/stylepoints.
Angie’s Hats: This is her story:
“My name is Angie Hall Sandifer and I began
my quest to become a Milliner in 2005. In 2003
I was downsized from a corporate career in the
telecommunications industry.
The Desktop Communications class I took taught
me to make brochures, flyers, PowerPoint presentations
and website building using Dreamweaver. I always
loved hats and flowers so I built Angie’s
Hats as my website project.
My mother, grandmother and father all wore (and
loved) hats and my dad loved seeing us wear hats.
Building Angie’s Hats took on a life of
its own. I was going to many hats sites to create
links for my project and I was in awe of all of
the many beautiful hats out there.
I don’t remember the exact moment I decided
I wanted to become a Milliner. The class was in
August of 2004, and by November I was looking
for someone in the Minneapolis area to teach me
the art of Millinery.
In April of 2005 I took my first private lesson
with a well known instructor, Jan Davidson Wutkowski,
in Wilmington North Carolina. I must admit that
I was overwhelmed when I got home, but I was tenacious.
I read every book I could get my hands on about
blocking hats and hat techniques. And I found
my passion.
For the past two years I get an email reminder
that says, stay focused, passionate, and excited
about my hats, and I am still very focused,
passionate and excited about them to this day.”
Hat Styles
I am happy to see the cloche come back. It is
probably my favorite. It can be sweet, sexy, intriguing,
dressed up, or dressed down, sporty, classy and
certainly a classic. I am finding that it is one
of my most popular styles.
The fedora, which I love as well, has caused
quite a stir. I like the stingy brim fedora on
both men and women, dressed up, or just sporty.
Wide brims are here to stay - especially for the
church ladies and the Kentucky Derby and for sun
protection.
There seems to be a resurgence in feminine fur
hats on the luxury side.
And I like the riding hat for a sporty look.
I think the upcoming hat trends are: bolder and
brighter colors for spring-summer and retro pillbox
and cocktail hats along with floppy straws.
Customers
I had a conversation with another
hatter the other day about whether hats were coming
back and she said people have been saying they
were coming back for years, but she didn’t
think so. She thought that we are just seeing
more celebrities wear hats.
I truly believe there is a revival in hat wearing,
even if it is a small one. And believe me; I am
going to do everything in my power to make it
happen. Women really love hats and men still love
seeing women wear hats. I am always amazed at
the attention I receive when I wear a well- made
fashion hat, especially attention from men.
I live in an artist co-op that has live work
space and twice a year we have an art crawl where
people from all over the twin cities converge.
They get to view and purchase our work here in
downtown Saint Paul, Mn.
I have participated in three crawls and each
time it has gotten bigger and better - and most
of all - more fun. And women need to have more
fun. Hats are fun and bring back a lot of good
memories.
There are still a lot of serious hat lovers out
there who want something that sets them apart
from the rest of the crowd - and they are not
price sensitive.
Hat Industry
My involvement has only been for
a short time, but I can honestly say that massed
produced department store hats look pretty frumpy.
For the most part the industry is not about quality
and workmanship, with the exception of a few designers.
Milliner’s must find or create their own
niche market.
The hat industry is hard to predict. Forecasters
seem to lump them with accessories.
Hat supplies may be harder to come by with the
closing of my favorite supplier, Manny’s.”
Thank you Angie for your honesty. Anyone
else care to send comments, send them to me at
dfyoga@aol.com.
Thanks. |
