I’m bringing my best to you – my collection of HATS ‘in tow’ feature yummy, fresh colours; all-season favourites; lots of great-fitting, stylish caps; sweet summery cloches; funky fold-able beach and travel hats; and a selection of fabulous toppers that would make any occasion special.

After a fair stretch of a ‘deep hat-making’ phase in the studio as Spring busts out on the west coast, I am SO ready for a similar bust-out – a spectacularly scenic road trip through valleys and forests, along raging river canyons, through towering mountain ranges, to the rolling foothills and grassy plains of Wild Rose Country.

Can’t wait to meet all you Alberta hat-lovers… in Edmonton May 3-5, and Calgary May 10-12. See you at the shows!… Shari

Show details can be found in my Upcoming Events at the right sidebar, or by by clicking here on either city:

EDMONTON           CALGARY

I’m especially excited about two new features on the Menu:
Collections - view Rosehip seasonal collections by ‘flipping’ through the pages of the LookBooks – magazine-style.
Shop Online - (coming later this month) … much asked about by my customers, near and far. Purchase your favourite hat online with a secure Paypal option. Putting the finishing touches on this…
Thanks for visiting, and please, have a peek around!

For ‘getting ‘er done’, the BIG thanks go to:

• Multi-talented web designer Alyssa Burtt at Zenhouse Media -  I’m thrilled to jam with a local company doing great work in our Vancouver business community and on Granville Island.  Zenhouse Media are also the creators of Granville Island Works, a complete ‘insider’s guide to Granville Island’.
• Graphic artist Jim Traversy of Artifact Designs - Jim did a beautiful job on my new logo, as seen in the banner above. I love that he takes ‘attention to detail’ to a whole new level, and his technical ability and knowledge of graphic design are both solid.
• Photographer Kim Krawchuk of maddiegray photography – Kim really worked her magic on the photoshoot this year. She brings her enthusiasm, easy-going nature, and ‘lucky chair’ to work – there was lots of laughter and LIGHT that sunny day in the back alleys of Gastown, Vancouver. Hat models Amanda, Chris, Christine, Dayna, Jeff, Kalisha -  you rocked! you brought the hats to LIFE with your smiles.
• Thank-you ALL for your talents, patience and ART… you are all stars. mmmwah! and much love… Shari

Me & Jim T of Artifact Designs at the Granville Island Market (2011) – photo by Michael Wheatley

photo by Kim Krawchuk / maddiegray photography

SHOW HOURS
Wednesday thru Friday 10am-9pm
Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 10am-5pm

WHERE
Vancouver Convention Centre West – see map
1055 Canada Place
Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3

Click the photo below for Ticket Information including online purchase DISCOUNTS.

Your initial ticket purchase entitles you to unlimited re-entry on any day of the 2012 show. Please pick up and validate your re-entry pass as you exit. (non-transferable)

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About Circle Craft Christmas Market:

More than 300 artisans from coast to coast! Vancouver’s Circle Craft Christmas Market has been a local tradition since 1973. For 38 years, generations of Vancouverites, British Columbians, as well as tourists from near and far have been enjoying the Market, a place where they come face to face with fine BC and Canadian artisans and their work. Exhibitors include wood turners, glass blowers, sculptors and potters, clothing and jewellery designers, toy makers, leather and metal workers, and more. In addition, to round out the experience, visitors will find food vendors, entertainment by local dance groups, craft technique demonstrations, and other activities.

The Circle Craft Christmas Market attracts some 40,000 people eager to discover the creations of hundreds of Canadian artisans all of whom are jury-selected based on talent and diversity. This November, more artisans than ever, over 300 (many of whom are new to the Market!), will present their wares.

The Market offers additional special sights and artistic surprises for attendees and fun activities for families to enjoy:

Watch artists produce their work – Enjoy live pottery throwing, weaving, and woodturning demonstrations!

Totally Amazing Glass – Take in free glassblowing demonstrations by some of Canada’s top glass artists. Visit the display of gallery work located next to the stage.

Ballz of Fire Workshop – Try your hand at designing and creating a blown glass Christmas ornament.

The Entertainment Stage where fantastic local talent will shine, including youth community dance and music groups!

Student Art Exhibition – Circle Craft presents, for the sixth year, an exciting exhibit celebrating student creativity. Each secondary school featured offers a display of a wide variety of student artwork reflecting the quality and diversity of their visual arts programs. This show offers a snapshot of the many styles and media art students are practicing. Explorations in drawing, painting, mixed media, printmaking, collage, photography, woodworking, and felting will be on view. This exhibition is presented by Circle Craft Cooperative.

Great Prizes will be won. Since its inception in 1993, The Sharing Tree has become an integral part of the Circle Craft Christmas Market. A $2 charitable donation enters you to win a prize valued at $1,500. All proceeds go to charity.

You’ll also find amazing fine art & craft, meet the artisans, enjoy live entertainment & music and sample tasty food under the trees in a most beautiful historic garden setting by the sea… come join the fun!

Show dates: Friday May 4- Sunday May 6.

Working together with my son Jarami’s company Hopewell Works, we made some ‘interesting’ props for the TV series Once Upon a Time.

The job was to design and create two Medieval-era dolls. In 3 days! “Hey, welcome to the film industry, Mom”.  Here is the only information I was given - an artist’s rendition of the Tea Party Princess Acorn and her sidekick the Mock Turtle:

Day 1:  After a mad-dash trip of sourcing materials, I set to designing and drafting patterns to spec. Mindful of historical accuracies (drawing upon my classroom experience as a History of Costume instructor) and little time for mistakes, a lot of problem-solving cogs in my brain were called to alert. Here’s the hemp canvas body of Princess Acorn:

Day 2: Draft/design patterns for dress, hat (yay!), booties -

Braid & attach wool hair, hand-stitch silk & lace clothing, accessories, face.    note: eye with hanging thread as per drawing

Day 3: Mock Turtle – this guy’s ca-razy! a wild mixed breed of Cow and Turtle – complete with – I must say ‘adorable’ – cow face, cow horns & hooves, turtle shell & tail, wearing a mock turtleneck knit sweater:

End of Day 3 – together and done!!

Back at Hopewell Works workshop, the dolls go through the ’age-ing’ process, which includes getting very dirty, messed-up and threadworn, with stuffing protruding and a missing eye , and are now ready for their big film debut:

Episode 17  “Hat Trick” of Once Upon a Time aired on Sunday March 25, 2012, with a storyline based on the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland (now there’s some irony!). Dolls can be seen early in the show, the first shot being 5 minutes along, as the Evil Queen holds Princess Acorn. Here are a few stills of the episode, including the ‘tea party’ where both dolls attended and sipped some tasty tea, according to Mock Turtle:

Fun! now back to the hats…

Perhaps my fondness for plaid fabric is a result of 1) a bit of ‘Highland’ blood (our family crest), 2) a background as a weaver, 3) a decade in the classroom teaching Textile Science to fashion students, and 4) a personality that loves the tailoring challenges this classic textile presents.

When plaids are perfectly matched and sewn at the seamline, the overall effect is effortless, and noticeable only for the newly created angles as a secondary design element. If the plaid patterns are ‘even a bit off’ at the seamline, eyes zoom right in on the jarringly mis-matched lines.

A plaid (or Tartan) pattern in fabrics really is a science, and is created using a weaving design process known as ‘colour-and-weave’. Colour variety can be created as one coloured thread intersects with a second coloured thread, just as a painter mixes two colours together to create a third.  The total number of colours in the finished weave increases quadratically with the number of thread colours. For example, six thread colours can produce a total of twenty-one different colours. Therefore the more colours used, the more blurred and subdued the plaid pattern becomes.    more on Tartan textile design & history

A classic and popular year-round pattern, plaid works well for casual and semi-dressy occasions, and can mix in with most wardrobes. For a fun & individual style statement, wear your plaid hat with other plaids in your wardrobe – shirts, socks, jacket, etc.  (.. I looove this guy’s mix-and-match plaid – brilliant!)

Washed, beach-y colours and various neutral plaids patchworked together into funky designs.

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Special projects like this are always a challenge as it pushes artists out of their ‘comfort zones’ into a new level of creative thinking and skill-testing.

We had a lot of fun with the process, and loved the results, especially seeing our designs get ‘worked’ by live models/dancers.

Outfit #1 – Tropical Seas

• flowing dress in hand-painted silk with shibori texture 
• colours of emerald, royal blue and turquoise 
• coordinating sunhat & silk jewelry 

  Outfit #2 – WestCoast Seaside

• flapper dress in handpainted silk with seashell motif 
• colours of light blue and sandy beige 
• adorned with silk seaweed and kelp 
• coordinating sunhat 

 Dresses and jewelry by Heide Otto    / Hats by Shari Reid

 About the Artists:

2011 marks a decade for RoseHip Hats as a Circle Craft exhibitor.  In these past weeks leading up to the show, I’ve been busy in the studio designing new hat styles, choosing a selection of seasonal fabrics & trims, cutting, sewing, pressing, handstitching … and then packing up the caravan with boxes of hats and booth display items for the trek to the show.   

Look for Kalisha and me at Booth #422 under a brand new RoseHip sign – we’re looking forward to seeing you!

Circle Craft is held at the new Vancouver Convention Centre . Click here for map.

For the month of June, fans can enter their name in the contest to win a lovely daily prize. Grand Prize Draw is July 1… for a custom RoseHip hat!

 See Rosehip Facebook event page for more details.

The sooner you enter, the greater your chances to win a daily prize.

Good Luck!… Shari

 I encourage everyone, regardless of their level of experience with hats, to experiment. Trying on many different types of hats will help develop a better sense of what feels right. If you haven’t worn hats for awhile you may find that the styles and colours which once worked for you may also have changed due to a new hairstyle, differences in your face shape and colouring, wearing glasses, and lifestyle changes.

Oh wait, there IS one rule: Have fun! If your ‘fear of hats’ (hatophobia?) has not yet subsided, it soon will.

Choose a hat that fits you properly. This seems like a no-brainer, but I’m surprised how many people buy hats that don’t FIT. Even though you love it at the time of purchase, if it’s not super-comfortable on your head you’re not likely to be happy with it or wear it much. If you do find a hat style you love but it doesn’t fit, find out what sizing options are available.

The hat should be snug enough that it won’t flop around on your head (or fall off!) or sit too low and obscure your vision. A hat that’s too small may give you a headache, not allow for air circulation, or at the very least leave an indent line on your forehead – not pretty.  A general guideline: there should be room for two of your fingers to slip under the band.

The PROPORTION of the hat to your overall size should also be considered: i.e. - a larger hat silhouette is usually better for larger people; smaller people find balance in a more compact hat silhouette.

It’s helpful to know your head size when looking. This chart shows how these measurements translate to common hat sizing.

Another good indication of fit is the ALIGNMENT of the hat’s crown to your cheekbones: the sides of the crown should be flush with the outer edges of your cheekbones to be balanced with the face. (more on ‘face shapes’ in Part 2)

Look for a colour that brings out the best in your skin tone and hair colour. This is a very important feature as a hat frames and draws attention to the face. The colours next to your face can either flatter your skin tone by minimizing flaws and giving a healthy glow, or detract from your looks by accentuating lines and dark areas – especially around the eyes.

Think CONGRUENCY when considering your best colours and patterns. I find that most often people will naturally gravitate towards the colours that look good on them – usually the same colours of the clothing they normally wear. This works well as we tend to want the flexibility of wearing a hat with lots of different outfits.

If the bulk of your clothes are neutral, hats can be a fun way to add color and a bit of ‘oomph’. Being an accessory item, a hat can also be a less expensive way to sport the latest colour trend. These hot colours for Spring/Summer 2011 have lots of ‘punch’ - it could make sense to wear them in small doses.

As for pattern and texture, if you have bold colouring you can wear more vivid hues, contrasting shapes and patterns and highly textural fabrics; those with more delicate colouring usually find a more tone-on-tone palette, small patterns and smoother fabrics more appropriate.

If you need help determining your best colours, this website takes you through the steps and is pretty straightforward.

Continued in next post: Hat-Hunting Tips – 2. Brim Angles, Face Shape & Body Type

 The hunt continued…. 

Now it’s time to ‘work’ the hat on your head and ‘play’ with the angle of the brim. A hat can flatter the face much more when worn on a bit of a tilt. Start with ¼ inch tilt and go from there, trying the tilt to one side of the face, then the other. This emphasizes the eyes by letting in some light and helps to draw the viewer’s eyes upward. If you wear glasses, this can also give some room for the frames. Try all other possible positions of the hat on your head: sideways, forward over your brow, even backwards… this is the only way to find the best position of the hat on your head, and it’s often a surprise to see that a minor adjustment can make all the difference.

Different styles of hats will flatter different head and face shapes, so it helps to be familiar with your own face shape. You may find a face shape chart helpful.

As a general rule, those with round faces should avoid narrow-brimmed or close-fitting hats as they will make the lower part of your face look wider. Those with longer faces should avoid a high crown as it will elongate your head. Heart-shaped faces should avoid wide-brims and baseball peaks which tend to obscure and add weight to the top half of the face while making the lower part of the face disappear. As you can see, when considering the right hat silhouette for your face shape, and the tilt or position of the hat on your head, it’s all about BALANCE: how the overall hat shape balances with your own face shape.

Consider other physical traits such as your height, weight, body proportion, neck length – does the hat provide balance and create a harmonious look with your body type? Try to get a full-body and back view of yourself in the hat. Don’t be afraid to ask another person for their feedback. Friends, family, and even strangers passing by most often get a kick out of being asked for their opinion.

After a successful hunt, enjoy wearing your hat! …Your perfect hat should put the emphasis on YOU; it should add to your style or put a special twist on a simple outfit. Wearing a hat with confidence is a remark-able thing. It’s certain that people will stop you to say “hey, nice hat!”, or even better “you look amazing!!”

Hope these tips help you find a hat that becomes you… cheers!  Shari

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Linnette’s favourite hat …by Rosehip Hats

A sustainable textile product:

• is designed with consideration of the environmental and social impact it may have throughout its total life span.
• has a much smaller ‘ecological footprint’ than its conventional counterpart: it creates less pollutants and waste; is toxic-free and uses less water and non-renewable resources.

 Here are three of my favourite eco-textile sources for ‘green hat’ design:

 1.) Certified ORGANIC COTTON is free of destructive toxic pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilizers. On the flip side, conventionally-grown cotton uses approximately 25% of the world’s insecticides and is one of the most widely grown and chemical-intensive crops in the world.

 2.) HEMP is one of the best choices for eco-fibres due to its ease and speed of growth and resistance to disease, with no artificial fertilizers or pesticides needed.  Hemp sheds many of its leaves before harvest, returning nutrients to the soil for the next crop.  Hemp fibre has natural anti-mildew, high UV protection, thermodynamic and hypoallergenic properties.

 3.) RECYCLED (reclaimed, pre & post consumer, vintage) fabrics are arguably the most sustainable choice for raw materials to repurpose (or ‘upcycle’) into new designs as they require no agriculture, no manufacturing to produce and avert materials from the waste stream for longer periods of time. VINTAGE (pre-1980’s) textile goods were designed to be used for many years, unlike the planned obsolescence of most mass-produced fashion items today. They are also appreciated for their historic value, uniqueness and robust quality. Fabrics were often handwoven and garments custom-made with hand-finished details and unusual trims – techniques now lost with the current globalization of the fashion and textile industries. 

 For more information on sustainability issues:

 ~~~~~ RoseHip Hats: designing with the earth in mind, since 1992 ~~~~~

Please click Events for RoseHip Hats year-round schedule at the Public Market on Granville Island.

 Vancouver’s jewel: an island in the middle of the city …

“… picture a place moulded by a fascinating history, buzzing with a colourful artistic community. A living, breathing urban oasis filled with fine waterfront restaurants, theatres, galleries, studios, unique shops, cafes and the most spectacular fresh food market you’ve ever seen. Add a vibrant and diverse mix of people and activities, and you have a destination so dynamic, no visit to the city is complete without spending at least a day here. Just think of Granville Island as Vancouver’s Town Square. Where locals and visitors come together to be inspired, to be entertained or simply to breathe in some of its unique atmosphere …”  

Granville Island website 
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A hat is more than ‘just another accessory’ – it’s a state of mind, a message to the world. Can you wear a hat? Most certainly yes! Regardless of what stories you tell yourself, sometimes a little open-mindedness and ‘hattitude’ go a long way. 

Here are a few steps to help build confidence:

• Become familiar with your own basic face shape (oval, round, square, long, triangular, heart) and body type. **stay tuned for more on this
• Think about the when/where you want to wear a hat – practical, every day? protection? special occasion? vacation?
• Be curious … and brave!  Try a lot of different hats on.  All rules aside, the best trick is to ‘experiment’ to develop a sense of what works for your individual style and features.

There’s really nothing too mysterious about it: we’ve been adorning ourselves with hats and headwear for many centuries, and for many different reasons. Styles come and go through typical fashion cycles, and hats are more popular today than ever!

I’ll be touching on lots more tips and information about hats in future posts. Stay tuned!

photo: Kelly & Carlie