I’ve always been fascinated by 3 dimensional objects. The light that sits on each plane or caresses a smooth soft line. The clever play of proportion; sometimes serene and perfect, other times awkward and uncomfortable. Finally, the weight and weightlessness one feels when looking at design. All these factors have come into play when molding the leghorn straw from its basic shape of a small crown with wide brim into a Stupa, Hindi Temple or Mausoleum in the 'Architectural' collection.
I hope you find time to read the individual explications of each design written in diary form, enjoy the detailed images, and enjoy the Mauren Brodbeck inspired graphic responses shown under each hat on the website.
Since being a little girl, I’ve loved travel. Initially it was to Europe and Cyprus and then in later life to far flung countries only previously dreamt about in books. The Americas, Asia and Australia have provided trips that have all been filled with moments of awe, primarily at the architecture but also the costumes and food!
Creating this collection has therefore been an enjoyable trip down memory lane.
The ‘Polo’ and ‘Ogee’ style straw hats have a similar silhouette having been heavily influenced by Buddhist stupas in Sri Lanka. At Pollonawara and Anuradhapura, with my large straw hat and a rickety old bike I would peddle, and with each revolution a bird chirped, or architectural gem emerged. Often the jungles had reclaimed their land after the last rulers had been overthrown some 2000 years previously and now the sites had been meticulously renovated back to their former glory. The crown in both this style is a hemispherical bell shape to replicate the main chamber used to enshrine precious relics to Buddha. The small spherical spire at the top of both the temples and hat reach to heaven with fine, elegant proportions.
‘Nyat’ is inspired by a five-tiered temple located in central Nepal called Nyatapola. Ironically this crown is not as high as the other hat styles however the original temple is the highest in Nepal. Both its name’s sake and the hat have dynamic geometric sharp lines and cut a dashing silhouette. A step in the crown and then a wide brim represents the strong grounding these temples have, Nyatapola has survived 5 earthquakes!
The ‘Taj’ most daring and striking of all the hats and architecture. This Indo-Islamic architecture was created by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz and completed by 1648 AD. I will never forget the pink light dropping over the bulb shaped dome, streaming into arches and curves and confirming the majesty of this romantic mausoleum.
I hope you marvel at your own hat when it arrives and have many special times under its protective shade.
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