An evening occasion is lit from above, photographed with a flash and spent largely seated at a table. All three of those work against a brim and put the interest at the crown instead.
Veils, beading, jet and silk velvet catch artificial light where matte daylight straw goes flat. Each piece here is wired and balanced by hand in the London atelier so it holds through dinner and whatever follows it.
Choosing yours
Three things that decide an evening headpiece
A brim does not survive a dinner table
You sit down, you turn to talk to the person beside you and a brim is in the way of both. Evening wants height and structure at the crown, which is where a cocktail hat, a veiled band or a sculptural headpiece works.
Artificial light rewards texture
Jet, crystal, beading, silk velvet and a fine veil all catch a downlight or a camera flash. A flat matte straw that looks beautiful outdoors in June reads dull in a room lit from the ceiling.
Black is more than one colour
Silk velvet, satin, jet beading and matte felt each read as a different black under the same light. Layering two of them is what stops an evening piece looking flat in photographs.
Made for you
Monika will design an evening piece around your dress, match the colour by hand to your fabric and balance it to the way you wear your hair. One to four weeks from the first conversation.
Dramatic headpieces for galas, premieres and evening occasions. Veils, sculptural pieces and one of one design.
Questions
What headpiece do you wear to a black tie gala?
Something with height and structure at the crown rather than a brim. A cocktail hat, a veiled band or a sculptural headpiece sits correctly at a dinner table and in a photograph taken with a flash. Texture is what carries under artificial light, so jet, crystal, beading and silk velvet read better than a matte finish.
Can you wear a hat to an evening event?
A structured hat is unusual after dark and awkward once you are seated at a table. A headpiece gives you the same presence with none of the brim problem, which is why almost everything in this collection is a headpiece, a cocktail hat or a veiled band.
How does an evening headpiece stay on through dancing?
On a band, on a fine comb, on an elastic matched to your hair colour or a combination of those. Every piece is wired and balanced by hand so the weight sits where it should, which is what keeps it in place through a full evening without adjusting.
Can a veil be made to my own length?
Yes. Veiling is cut and shaped by hand on a commission, so the drop, the width and the mesh are all decided with you. Colour is matched by hand to a swatch, a photograph or a piece of your own fabric. A commission takes one to four weeks.