Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Milliners Guild of NYC/Bastille Day II


The Milliners Guild

Invites you, your friends and family to

Join our Second Annual

Bastille Day Celebration

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Programme:

7:00 PM – Assemble at Bar Suzette Creperie

Chelsea Market

425 west 15th street

Drinks and full menu available

8:00 PM – Highline Promenade millabout

9:00 PM – “Chapeau Formidable” Award

9:15 PM –cocktails on the Terrace

Standard Hotel on the highline

48 Washington at 13th Street

r.s.v.p.

millinersguild@hotmail.com

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Veuve Clicquot Hats Off!



Hats and the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic go together like Princes and Polo ponies. The estimated 12,000 plus crowd on Sunday's Governor's Island match between Black Watch (Nacho Figueras et cie) and Black Rock (Prince Harry and co) were extremely happy for their hats in the heat of the day. The temperatures rose, but the breezes held back, so to cover heads, horses, and happy picnickers, umbrellas floated in the Veuve Clicquot yellow along with the tented areas reserved for the very VIPs who came over on their launches and ferries.
Movie stars, celebrities local, international, and hitherto overlooked regaled each other and the hordes of press who came to shoot the wealthy and the fans who cheered on the teams from the newly improved sidelines. The $50,000 tables were full, the $250 picnic tickets were sold out days before the event, and the bleachers were stacked with freebies. Ferries from Manhattan and Brooklyn came and went all the day, with crowds not so used to having a Royal on their very home turf.
The hats made the scene, but by and large, Americans don't yet dare to outdo the Ascot crowds of England's horsey set. We tend to stay safe, so lots of practical, pretty, and sane headgear made it's way to Governor's Island. Yes, off in the crowded tent I did see a Phillip Treacy butterfly hat, and a red satin satellite. Lots of Ellen Christine out there, too, but we haven't beaten them yet. On the hat front, that is. Nacho did beat Prince Harry this year, in a 3 1/2 minute overtime.
The horses kept their sleek haunches in tight formation, as the game kept it's pace with the expectation of the crowd. Dust rose as the riders swung their mallets, and forced the Veuve Clicquot signature ball back and forth across the greensward. At the divot stomping break, the public gamely joined the tradition of milling about and crowing about the Prince, while settling the erstwhile clump back into it's manicured place. Excitement mounted when Prince Harry took a headover tumble, and Black Watch may have suffered because of that fall, even if the young Prince did not.
A day in the sun, with a Prince on an island, surrounded by happy, familiar folk and lots and lots of champagne. Ah, life.
Sentebale was the recipient of this good will, and hopefully the charity, dear to Prince Harry's heart, benefitted enormously from the souvenir sales, the gate, and the publicity.
Champagne flowed, the hoi-polloi mingled with the corporate, and the day was a glorious exercise in American:"See-What-We-Can-Do?!".
Thank you, Veuve Clicquot. I'm already planning my hat for next year!
And thank you, Mario Diab, for making me beautiful all day long.

photo courtesy of Veuve Clicquot

Princes and Polo Ponies



Hats and the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic go together like Princes and Polo ponies. The estimated 12,000 plus crowd on Sunday's Governor's Island match between Black Watch (Nacho Figueras et cie) and Black Rock (Prince Harry and co) were extremely happy for their hats in the heat of the day. The temperatures rose, but the breezes held back, so to cover heads, horses, and happy picnickers, umbrellas floated in the Veuve Clicquot yellow along with the tented areas reserved for the very VIPs who came over on their launches and ferries.
Movie stars, celebrities local, international, and hitherto overlooked regaled each other and the hordes of press who came to shoot the wealthy and the fans who cheered on the teams from the newly improved sidelines. The $50,000 tables were full, the $250 picnic tickets were sold out days before the event, and the bleachers were stacked with freebies. Ferries from Manhattan and Brooklyn came and went all the day, with crowds not so used to having a Royal on their very home turf.
The hats made the scene, but by and large, Americans don't yet dare to outdo the Ascot crowds of England's horsey set. We tend to stay safe, so lots of practical, pretty, and sane headgear made it's way to Governor's Island. Yes, off in the crowded tent I did see a Phillip Treacy butterfly hat, and a red satin satellite. Lots of Ellen Christine out there, too, but we haven't beaten them yet. On the hat front, that is. Nacho did beat Prince Harry this year, in a 3 1/2 minute overtime.
Champagne flowed, the hoi-polloi mingled with the corporate, and the day was a glorious exercise in :"See-What-We-Can-Do?".
Thank you, Veuve Clicquot. I'm already planning my hat for next year!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Last Call for Hat Stack


Well, hello, and here we go.tomorrow is the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic. With the entire world gone mad for the World Cup, sports awareness is at an hormonal high, and all the world is watching. Us, that is, at the VCPC, on Governor's Island. Prince Harry is coming, Prince Seeiso is coming, and a raft (really a VIP Ferry) full of celebrities are sure to drop by.
No stranger to last minute requests, at Ellen Christine Millinery,we are frantically hatting it up until the last possible second this evening. Celebrities? Done! President of Belvedere? Done!
Host Chair Committee? Done!
From the sound of things, hats are flying off shelves all over town, and it will be the definitive hat occasion in New York City Social Circles!
Finally, something for everyone........with champagne...how much better can this get, o hatted ones?
We start off our very full day tomorrow with an appearance on Weekend Today New York, doing a hat beat, and setting the scene for the event. What to wear? What hat?
Join the fun, come to Governor's Island tomorrow, and for God's sake, wear a fabulous hat!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

My Fair Wedding : New Season



Sunday night, Ellen Christine Millinery shows up on David Tutera's My Fair Wedding at 10 p.m., We TV. That's the plug....here's the story:

Out of the blue, we got a call from a producer for the show. We had worked with David Tutera, when we did the headpieces for his runway show last season. so now, the question was, do we want to do a segment on My Fair Weddings?
As any good ham knows, we never turn down an opportunity to be out there, although I'm basically a behind the scenes kind of gal. So the wheels were set in motion, and the adventure began.

The day of the shoot, the crew arrived, set up,moved, moved again, re-arranged, and set up yet again, to have the scene ready. Our gig was to present three options for the Bride in the story, and our Bride wanted fantasy glamour vintage...1920's, to be precise. So we offered them a variety of styles from the era, with modern twists.
Everyone who knows Ellen Christine , know we are the Flapper destination, (see our editorial layouts in Vogue, Sept 2007, and May 2010).
History is our thing.
David arrived, dapper gentleman that he is; Bride arrived, all a-flutter and excited; shooting commenced. And it was in the can after a few hours. There are a few out-takes that should show up on a blooper program somewhere, but I'll be they won't! Something funny always happens on set. Now it's up to you to tell me what you think of the episode....on Monday!
I'll let you all watch the episode to see what we came up with, and what an incredible wedding David produced out of his hat for this couple!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

CBS Does Hat Day


It's hat now or never, sun worshippers! To promote National Hat Day in the Sun, CBS morning show on Tuesday has invited the Milliners Guild of New York and the Headwear Association to the plaza outside the CBS morning tv show, to distribute hats and to show our wacky and wild strength in numbers.
Be there, or be watching and let the television nation know we mean hat business.
7-8 a.m. of course! 59th and 5th Avenue, next to the Apple Store

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Head 'Em Up


Crushed into a corner giving interview after interview is not the worst thing, really. If you're out on a New York Street, surrounded by our little garden at Ellen Christine Millinery, with the sun high, and the temperature just right, it's fun. Just me and my dead bird (the one on my hat), giving forth, expounding upon the glories of hat wearing,and the excitement being generated for the upcoming Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic.
The rooms that comprise the shop and atelier filled with hat lovers, press, and lots of champagne, thanks to Veuve Clicquot. A glass in one hand, and a hat in the other is my idea of heaven!
When lots of different styles surround you, it happens: you want to try things on that your head has never been near in its life. Hats happen, and the ice begins to crack. Ah, Spring! Ah, Summer!
Ah, The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic! Here we come!

In the photo: unabashed fans: Lisa Weier, from Conde Nast Traveler, Samantha Barnes, from Veuve Clicquot, and Linda Zagaria, long time friend and client
Photo by: Sebastien Moraitis