When the eldest of her three daughters got married in February 2009, Anne Reeder searched everywhere for the right hat. “I needed fabric to complement my cashmere coat but the only hats that matched cost a fortune,” she says. “I had to go for a straw one in the end and probably looked a bit ridiculous.”
The experience sparked an idea that Reeder only began to pursue three years later, at the age of 65. Deciding to become a freelance consultant after four decades as an occupational therapist and trust manager in the NHS, Reeder signed up for weekend classes in Ipswich to learn millinery, the art of hat making. “I’ve always loved drawing and sewing and I could always do with more hats to round off an outfit,” she says. “Millinery seemed like the perfect combination of my interests.”
Her first task was a wide-brimmed white Ascot hat, machine-sewn from large circles of fabric. “It was wonderful watching it eventually come to life between my hands,” she says. “I ended up using it as a sun hat and took it on holidays with me for years after, until it became completely worn down.”
The experience of making something from scratch reminded Reeder of her early passions. “I really wanted to go to art school but I was one of three girls and my father wanted us to have a career that we could support ourselves with. He didn’t think an art school education was suitable. Making hats decades later released that creativity and allowed me to start again.”
Once she retired in 2014, Reeder signed up for an intensive hat-making BTec qualification at Kensington and Chelsea College. Once a week, she would take the train to London and begin the complicated process of handcrafting pieces. “We learned everything from finding inspiration to sketching and making 3D models in paper,” she says. “Once we had our design, we would then ‘block’ it on wooden pieces, steam it, wire the edges, join the crown and brim and finally trim. It was such an absorbing process.”
Reeder went on to make a range of hats on the course, from a fungi-inspired creation to a silk hat meant to evoke the harsh edges of the Grand Canyon, a straw hat inspired by glaciers and a felt hat layered like autumn leaves. “I can lose myself in it, put the radio on and get going,” she says. “You can even make flowers and shape fabrics while watching TV.”
After receiving a distinction in her BTec, Reeder realised she could begin selling her stock. By 2015 she had launched her website, selling everything from £40 fascinators to intricate set pieces for £200 or more. “The business is mostly word of mouth and it has been lovely meeting ladies who have never worn hats before but want to find something they’ll feel good in,” she says. “In the nine years since we started, I’ve made hundreds of pieces, from a My Fair Lady-inspired hat to trilbies for men and even a free-flowing spiral that took weeks. I’m proud of it all.”
With her creations taking anywhere from an hour for simple fascinators to several weeks for intricate pieces that require drying and setting, Reeder, 77, now has a dedicated hat-making workshop in her home. “It has really refreshed my interest in fashion and fabric,” she says. “I went to India a few years ago and bought lots of offcuts to make headbands, and I also recycle old dresses into hats. I’m thinking of making a whole collection out of preloved fabrics next.”
She now has more demand than she can keep up with but she is keen to learn new techniques. “I have to be careful not to make this another full-time job but it’s a wonderful community to be part of,” she says. “I’m part of an online milliners’ academy and I try to go to London Hat Week each year.”
Recent cataract surgery and the purchase of a pair of trifocal lenses mean she is confident her eyesight and dexterity can withstand the demands of fine stitching as she nears her 80s. “I wish people would wear hats more, as it makes all the difference to an outfit,” she says. “I’ll keep going as long as I can, since people always need something interesting to wear.”
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