Perseverance Pays In Hat Design

Polly Singer — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 02:22:19 +0000

When I was a little girl, my Mother read to me often. One of my favorite books was “Toodles and Her Friends”. It was about a cat, Toodles, who went through many obstacles but never gave up. The cat would always say “Perseverance Pays”. That little phrase has always stuck with me and encouraged me to never give up, both in professional and personal lives.

In designing hats, I am always the most proud of the hats that were the most difficult to design. I will generally design whatever the client requests, even though at the beginning of the project, I am not quite sure how it is all going to work out.

This hat was designed for Royal Ascot. It was the very first hat that I designed for this prestigious event. It had to be perfect!

My client lived on the West Coast and I was in Kentucky. We emailed numerous photos back and forth. I did not have the dress, which was a different shade of taupe than what showed up in photos. I found a local boutique that had the same dress in stock. They graciously loaned me the dress so that I could make sure the feathers matched the dress.

My client was thrilled with the hat and received many compliments that day!

Often, the hats that are the most difficult to create are the ones that I fall madly in love with. Much work goes into designing. I often wake up in the middle of the night with the answer to my design questions.

This was a design that I made for Nancy Cox, who was a local news anchor who covered the Kentucky Derby. Nancy is a former Miss Kentucky and a delight to work with. Since she was on air much of the day, I wanted something that stood out, was comfortable to wear and looked stunning with her dress.

The yellow dress was a great base. I added the blue and white to add a little more color and give it height. We were both excited with the results. Nancy was a winner on Derby Day.

I designed this hat for Margaret Guedes, who is the Founder/CEO of Kids Beating Cancer. Margaret is a delight to work with. She always sends me a photo of her dress and we go from there. Her style is elegant and timeless. We both were happy with the result. Finding the right color flowers was a challenge but it all worked out in the end because “purrseverance pays”!

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Holiday Fascinator: a spoonful of fun

Polly Singer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:04:08 +0000

Mademoiselle Colette

Thrilling things often come in small packages – that has never been more true than this autumn at Polly Singer Couture Hats and Veils. Just in time for the holiday party season, we’re unveiling a collection of hats so petite and precious they should be measured in carats.

The seven bewitching new fascinators run the gamut from unabashedly romantic to sophisicated and mysterious. The common characteristic is that each little headpiece packs a head turning punch. In some of the designs, Moulin Rouge and Domino for instance, much of the dazzle is created by the exhuberant interplay of long feathers and lush silk flowers.

Moulin Rouge

With several of the designs, veiling sets the mood —and the moods do vary. In the case of Frappé an ivory bird cage veil whispers innocently of romance. Frappé is popular with brides as a less formal wedding veil, or as a reception headpiece. It also works fabulously well with winter white wool. On quite the opposite end of the spectrum is Kir Royal. A mysterious dark veil, shot with white velvet floats beneath rich black trims and violet velvet. Tutti Frutti owes it’s whimsical appeal to an amusing chin length veil across which candy colored dots play giving the illusion of a constant shower of confetti.

Frappè

Kir Royale

Tutti Frutti

All of these designs play well with a little black dress. Moulin Rouge and Grenadine Fizz take advantage of crimson’s affinity for black and white. Moulin Rouge brings the glamor of a casino to basic black. More playful, yet every bit as eye catching is Grenadine Fizz with its wisp of a veil and sassy scarlet and white trim.

Grenadine Fizz

Crème de Menthe is a study in movement and vivid color. Among the dancing black feathers iridescent peacock spires glimmer, working their timeless magic.

Creme de Menthe

These charming little hats range in price from $190. to $250. and are brilliant at breathing new life into last year’s party dress. The right fascinator can transform an otherwise conservative ensemble into a stunning holiday look. This Thanksgiving, I refuse to go over the river and through the woods dressed like a pilgrim. This sweet whimsey in Cocoa guarantees that I won’t be upstaged by a turkey. Whether you want to be the girl in the limelight or the mysterious siren of the shadows I encourage you to consider a fascinator. In fact, you might as well take two —remember, they’re small.

photo by Elaine Shay

By Jan Masters Yon

Note: We enjoy hearing from readers and invite your comments. My email address is jan@hatsandveils.net. Polly may be reached at polly@hatsandveils.net. We both look forward to your input.

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Perseverance Pays In Hat Design

Holiday Fascinator: a spoonful of fun