Off the Top of Your Head

By Marni Elyse Katz
April 19, 2011

Marie Galvin, the Irish-born milliner behind Boston-based Galvin-ized Headwear has been handcrafting hats for over ten years. After teaching herself the art of hatmaking by reading old millinery instructional books and taking apart vintage hats, she presented her first designer hat collection. Two years later, she was the first runner up in the British Hat Designer of the Year competition, and a month later, she debuted her pieces at Henri Bendel. Since then, Marie Galvin's hat designs have been seen on the well-groomed heads of Cher, Alicia Keys, and Claire Danes, not to mention in loads of popular magazines and websites. With a host of hat-wearing occasions on the horizon—namely, Easter, the Kentucky Derby and the royal wedding—we tip our hats to Marie Galvin for filling us in on what trendy hats to wear.

The Inside Source: Let’s start with the obvious: How is Kate Middleton's fashion influencing the fashion of hats?

Marie Galvin: She’ll be great for fashion. Those English girls will be clamoring to look like her (she’s pretty enough to be a Hollywood film star) and they’re the leaders in trends. Diana brought hats back in fashion; she did a lot for the millinery industry in England. I mean, the Queen always wore hats, but they weren’t fashionable. Diana played a big part in the return of the hat. Now, people want to look fabulous. There’s a real return to dressing up, and wearing hats.

The Inside Source: Are customers bringing in pictures of the hats that Kate Middleton has been wearing recently, asking for similar hat designs?

Marie Galvin: Nobody’s brought in a picture yet, but, of course there’s lot of buzz about Kate; they either love her or hate her. Customers tell me to send her hats, but I think Philip Treacy has that all wrapped up!

The Inside Source: Are you seeing an increased interest in fashionable hats here in Boston?

Marie Galvin: Wedding guests wearing wedding hats is really big right now. Once the royal wedding happens, I think there will be even more. I’ve been doing a lot of hats for women going to transatlantic weddings. In the U.K., women really “dress” for weddings; the women are fierce and fabulous. The object of the game is to blend in with the locals. I’m getting a lot of customers who have just come back from a wedding in England or Ireland, saying, “Everyone was wearing one but me; I want one so I can wear one to a wedding here."

The Inside Source: What are the current hat fashion trends?

Marie Galvin: The trend is towards the fascinator style, on a comb or headband. It works brilliantly for young and old. Not the traditional large brimmed hat. You still see them at the Derby, but those are the kiss of death for me. You get hat head. When you take off a big hat like that in late afternoon, you’ll have a mark. A good alternative is the satellite dish-looking fascinators, so you still have gorgeous hair.

Galvin-Ized Headwear

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Photo Credit: photos by Joyelle West ; all images courtesy of Marie Galvin

The Inside Source: What about wedding hat styles for brides?

Marie Galvin: Brides are wearing more what the English and Irish have been doing for the past decade—feathery, bird cage (also called a blusher). I like the length just above the nose, so the groom can kiss the bride when it’s time.

The Inside Source: We’re seeing a lot of feathered hat styles in general, yes?

Marie Galvin: Feathers are huge right now. There was a time I couldn’t’ give them away, back when I started. I do a lot of sculptural things with them. Feathers have always been my go to material. Now, you can find feather headbands everywhere.

The Inside Source: What about hat fashion trends for Easter?

Marie Galvin: People in NYC are more into the whole Easter hat wearing thing, especially as they have the parade which New York Times [photographer] Bill Cunningham always covers. Unfortunately, here in Boston, not so much. However, the Derby thing has blown up. I think I sold one hat/fascinator for Easter but the lady is going to NYC for Easter.

The Inside Source: Speaking of the Kentucky Derby?

Marie Galvin: People think they have to get a big, Southern-looking hat. If you look at the photos, you see the celebrities with the big brim; they’re completely covered. But a gorgeous girl shouldn’t cover her face; don’t do that look! You want a lift; on a slant is a flattering shape; anything off center.

The Inside Source: What kind of fashionable hats do you wear?

Marie Galvin: All winter I wear a gregarious, over-the-top Russian storm trooper style hat with a gigantic pompom on top. When that’s too much, then usually a headband that looks like a hat; I call it a hatband. They’re felted wool and really popular; I can’t make them fast enough.

“eBay has wonderful vintage hats to buy and I've collected vintage hats on eBay over the years," says Galvin, who took to the online marketplace to pull together her wish list. "I love the fedora styles because they look good on women as well as men.”

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