My retrimmed hats service is a great way to give pre-loved hat a new lease of life. Essentially, it is altering the decoration on the design but without altering the base shape of the hat or fascinator.
This may be as simple as adding new feathers to the design to help it co-ordinate with a new outfit. In extreme cases, it may be the removal of all the existing decoration and replacing completely. However, the original trimmings can be re-used with additional design features, or changes to the positioning of the decoration.
Retrimmed hats can be a great alternative to buying a new hat. If you already have a favourite hat, or perhaps have borrowed a hat, I would definitely recommend this option.
All my work is hand sewn, meaning none of the changes are permanent. So yes, you can keep wearing your favourite hat, I can simply give it some TLC for each outing!
Prices for my retrimmed hats start at £85 for my time and labour. The materials required will be costed as part of your consultation.
Red Sinamay Hat with Feather Retrim
This client loved the shape and colour of the hat but wanted it refreshed to go with a new outfit. I used sinamay and hand curled goose biot feathers to replace the original red feather flowers and satin loops. This new trim now complimented the pattern in the client’s dress.
Man's Panama Trilby Retrimmed with Ribbon Bow
This fabulous panama straw hat was worn by a very dapper groom for his Summer wedding. The original hat band was a very bold navy and orange ribbon with a metal tag. To compliment the client’s pale dusty pink suit, we matched this blue ribbon to tone with both the blue ties he might wear.
Navy Vintage Hat Retrimmed with a New Veil
This vintage 1980s pill box was brought to me with very tired veiling. The rest of the hat was in very good condition, however the veiling made the hat look old. I used merry widow veiling to retain the original look of the hat and repositioned the bow at the back at the request of the client.
Retrim with Purple Feathers
This Mother of the Bride client borrowed a plain ivory hat from a friend so it had to be returned in it’s original condition. The purple coque feathers were hand cut into zig zags to compliment the existing trim. The hand curled goose biot feathers added volume of colour without being heavy.
Man's Black Felt Fedora Re-shape and Retrim
This wonderful man’s felt fedora from Christy’s was brought to me for a little TLC. First, I shortened the brim and then and re-blocked it to make it flat, as requested by the client. After a very good clean, I then replaced the narrow hat band for a more broader ribbon with a more substantial bow.
Navy Hatinator Retrimmed with Peacock Feathers
This voluminous crinoline and ostrich feather hatinator was re-shaped and re-trimmed for a Mother of the Bride. A few carefully placed stitches helped to reshape the base (spot my pin in the Before pic!) Then I added hand curled peacock swords feathers and reshaped the existing feathers to add balance.
Purple Sinamay Hat with Light Damaged Trim - Before
Sadly this hat had not been stored well and had suffered significant light damage and fading. However, the new colour was perfect for the client’s outfit for a wedding. However, it needed a full retrim to remove the damaged decoration and to hide some areas of obvious damage to the hat.
Purple Sinamay Hat with Rolled Sinamay Trim - After
The client liked the overall height, volume and style of the original trim. I also introduced new colours in the trim and used them to mimic the positioning of the damaged trim. This hat was for a summer wedding and the punchy colours were perfect with the tropical print of the client’s dress.
Black Hat Retrimmed with Almond Coque Feathers
This hat was the client’s “go to” hat and it had plenty of wear left in it. However, with a wedding in the diary the client wanted a little extra “something” to tie it to a new outfit. Simply adding these long-stemmed, almond colour coque feathers was the most effective solution to break up the overall colour.
Brown Velour Fur Felt Man's Trilby
This glorious velour felt trilby came to me in need of some serious TLC. After a good brush up and clean, I replaced the tired hatband with a new ribbon and bow. The client choose the colour of the ribbon and I used it to create a band that matched the original scale and shape.