History/Events Focus: Saint Catherine, patron saint of milliners!
Saint Catherine is the unofficial patron saint of milliners, thanks to the trade's association with the Catherinettes.
The term catherinettes historically applied to unmarried women over the age of 25, who were essentially "queen for a day" on the Feast of St. Catherine. Part of the custom involved the making of an elaborate hat and wearing it all day long, hence the millinery association. Catherinettes' hats were traditionally done in shades of green and yellow, though in modern celebrations, it seems to be more of an "anything goes" kind of deal, the more elaborate the better. The Parisian fashion industry throws a huge millinery-centric fete des Catherinettes celebration every year in November, and the custom has been adopted elsewhere around the world by milliners and millinery enthusiasts. Attendees wear grandiose, fabulous hats and often march in procession.
I've gotten wind of a couple of hat-centric events coming up in celebration, so i'm passing on the details in case any of my readership want to go check them out. (If you do, please take pictures!)
Chicago's Millinery Arts Alliance Announces
LA FETE DES CATHERINETTES
Saturday, November 8th, Seating at 1:30 & 3:30pm
with hats on display until 5:30pm
&
Sunday, November 9th, 4:30 to 6:30pm
The Peninsula Hotel
108 East Superior Street, Chicago
Phone: 312.573.6760
The Millinery Arts Alliance fills The Lobby of the Peninsula Hotel with their stunning Fall & Winter Collections throughout the afternoon tea. Guests are encouraged to dine in their finest chapeaux as prizes will be awarded. Live music and informal modeling round out the festivities.
The Peninsula Hotel will create a special menu for the event, which will include a petit souffle, scones, finger sandwiches and delightful desserts served with your choice of one of their marvelous teas for the cost of $40, or enjoy tea with a glass of champagne for $51. Please phone 312.573.6760 for reservations, which are required.
For more information about this or any other Millinery Arts Alliance event, call The Hatline, 312.409.6311.
NYC's Milliners Guild Announces
ST CATHERINE'S DAY FETE
New York, NY, November 18th, 2008
The most fabulous & outrageous hats take to the streets of Manhattan
when the Milliners Guild celebrates St. Catherine's Day.
In New York City for the first official observation of this fete, we'll meet at:
The Millinery Center Synagogue
1025 Sixth Avenue at 39th Street
5:00pm November 18th, 2008
Put the hat back in Manhattan & join them for a walk through
NYC's Garment District to Bryant Park. The event will end at:
Haven, 244 East 51st St between 2nd & 3rd Ave
for an hour of complimentary bar & hors d'oeuvres.
Dress code: Fun hat
Show your press ID at Haven to receive your special gift from the Milliner's Guild.
Hats and milliners will be on display until 9:00pm.
Are you planning anything chapeau-centric for St. Catherine's Day? Or, want to paste a link to your local millinery collective or guild? I'd LOVE to hear about it!
Locals, want to meet up for an impromptu St Catherine's fete (sporting hats, of course) somewhere? If there's any interest, i'd be glad to coordinate something.
You know, it's a shame that there's not an overarching united collective of regional milliners' guilds, either for the US or North America, which might also serve those of us who are (for lack of a better term) satellite practitioners. In addition to NYC's Milliners Guild and Chicago's Millinery Arts Alliance, Chicago boasts a second milliners' guild, Chapeau, and the Millinery Artisan Guild serves west coast milliners from Seattle down to LA. For those of us who practice our art in an area where perhaps there aren't enough milliners to warrant the formation of a guild, it'd be nice to have the opportunity to be a part of a professional organization addressing millinery concerns anyhow.