From racing at Royal Ascot to high society
weddings, summer is the busiest time of year for British hat maker Adrian
Philip Howard, who says he revels in the “outrageous and outlandish”.
Howard is the in-house milliner at distinguished London department store
Fortnum and Mason, where on the second floor only the hum of his sewing
machine interrupts the atmosphere of genteel calm.
Smartly dressed in a light suit and with hair swept to one side, the
forty-something hat maker, who has previously worked with members of
Britain’s
royal family, is full of passion for a job which started as a hobby.
“The summer is the busiest season — the racing season, Ascot, the Derby,
all those things,” he tells AFP in an interview.
“Ascot’s fun is my favourite time because the hats are a little bit more
outrageous and outlandish.
“A lady may come in and she has a dress with perhaps six or seven colours
and she would say: ‘Can you incorporate more into the hat?’ and for me,
that’s
like a dream.”
His clients’ husbands, however, are sometimes less keen.
“One gentleman came in to me that I hadn’t met before and he said: ‘All
my
golf clubs have had to be moved of my room to accommodate your hats.’
“He said ‘you’re not my favourite person’ because his wife had so many,”
Howard adds.
One recent creation which the milliner shows off features a huge black
tulle bow, which he hopes to sell before Ascot.
One of the highlights of the horse racing calendar which is known for its
flamboyant parade of hats, the five-day event west of London starts on
Tuesday.
Howard spends most of his time at a workshop in his garden in East Sussex,
in southern England.
But he travels to the British capital twice a week to carry out fittings
and meet clients at Fortnum and Mason, where he has worked since 2009.
“I’m the first in-house milliner here since 1958 so it’s a great honour.
It’s my favourite shop, too — I’m a lucky boy,” he says.
He says his clients come “from all walks of life”.
“It might be a wedding or something where hats are required, which is
happening more and more in Britain, thankfully,” he explains.
“Brides are now saying hats are compulsory, which is great for us
milliners.”
Taking inspiration from the classic Hollywood glamour of stars like
Audrey
Hepburn, his hats take from one day to two weeks to create and do not come
cheap.
Prices start at 300 pounds (380 euros, 430 US dollars) but can be
significantly more
expensive depending on what kind of extras the client wants.
“The sky’s the limit, depending on what detail goes into them and what
they’re embellished with,” Howard says.
“Some ladies might have fine jewels they want on their hats.”
Although some women insist that hats do not suit them, Howard believes
this
is not the case — it is simply a question of finding the right style.
“I think there is a hat for everybody,” he says.
“There are a few ground rules regarding ladies’ face shapes. For
instance,
if a lady has quite a long face, it’s normally advisable for her not to
wear a
tall, thin hat because it just accentuates the fact.”
He adds: “Short ladies generally steer clear of large, downturned brims
because, as my millinery teacher used to say to me, it makes them look like
mushrooms.” (AFP)