Well, I hadn't posted anything about the conference until now, so here goes! It was so much information that I am still trying to think about all of it. I made lots of notes. We were very restricted as to photographing. I did sneak a few photos of
some of the ladies who work in the Margaret Hunter Shop and will try to post those in the next few days. On Sunday evening we attended an opening Birthday Reception in honor of 60 years at the Margaret Hunter in Colonial Williamsburg. I
wore 1940s....the suit had no label and the hat was Elizabeth Hawes and one of my favorites in my collection. My brooch and earrings are Joseff of Hollywood. There were very few authentic vintage outfits at this reception and as I had expected
many of the attendees wore reproduction colonial attire in honor of the period being celebrated. These dresses and hats were lovely recreations of the clothing worn from that period. On Monday and Tuesday, we heard many interesting speakers who focused on many topics. Janea
Whitacre who is the Mistress Milliner and Mantuamaker for Colonial Williamsburg was delightful. I had met Janea once before and immediately liked her easy going and charming personality. And, she didn't disappoint us with her
excellent presentations on "The Milliner and Her Trade". Many of the speakers on Monday spoke of the trade in Colonial times. Tuesday continued the lectures with what I thought were some of the best....."Anything Elegant, in the Form of a
Turban: Women's Turbans in Fashion at the Turn of the 19th Century(Ann Bauermann Wass), Velvet and Silk Flowers for Millinery and Dressmaking(Mela Hoyt-Heydon, Shades of Grief: The Role of Millinery and Accessories as Indicators of
Mourning in the 1860s(Samantha McCarty). I think the two speakers which I, personally, found to be most interesting were Nadine Stewart and Ignatius Creegan. Nadine is adjunct professor, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey
and had studied at FIT and her talk was "Traffic Lights of Chic: American Millinery and American Style 1937-1947. She focused on Sally Victor, Mr. John(Frederics) and Lilly Dache and she had the audience ooohing and ahhhhing a number of
times! And, Ignatius' talk was entitled Millinery as a 21st Century Occupation: A Current Example of a Career in Hat Making". He owns and operates Ignatius Hats in Petersburg, Virginia and has made hats for the Rockettes and top hats for A
Chorus Line. He spoke of his meeting Frank Olive and working with Woody Shelp(major figure in costuming theatrical shows in NYC). His collection of antique hat blocks was amazing and he also makes them, himself! Ignatius was funny and
captivating and great way to bring the conference to a close and his Millinery creations are beautiful. Overall, it was a great experience!
