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Catherine Kelly

@hattember

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Hattember2025
👒International Millinery Competition
#wakeupwearahat
#30DaysofHATseptember
☎️1300HATTER

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

What a stylish day at Royal Randwick today for TAB EPSOM @australianturfclub 🐎

Congratulations to the fashion stakes winners 🙌🏼🌹#royalrandwick #fashionstakes #everestcarnival

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🍁🍁OCTOBER edition of HATalk out today 🍁🍁

Autumn is finally here in the UK after a relatively long and hot summer.

That means relishing the falling leaves and the milder temperatures whilst embracing the seasonal transition to more earthy colours and textures.

You’ll find autumnal tones aplenty in this October edition of the magazine OUT TODAY.

👒Our Monthly Millinery Ana Lamata specialises in natural dyes as well as stunning floral forms

🧶We learn about working with knitted and felted wool with Sally Underwood from Om Pom Pom

🧙‍♀️We peek into the spellbinding world of Evercrumbly & Witch where Halloween is the busiest time of the year!

In addition, our regular columnists Martine Henry and Robert Gault touch on pre-made hat forms and children’s hats respectively, and we dip into vintage style at Goodwood as well as relish the Hattember winners’ designs.

All that and more!

So, settle down somewhere cosy for a good read 📚📚

#hatstyle #hatmaking #milliner #vintagestyle #witchtober

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So, when you’ve decided to send one hat to Australia for Hattember 2026, why not send two! Makes sense right??

Hattember have two categories and you are allowed to enter both, so I did! You’ve (hopefully) already seen on my feed that I came 2nd place in the Icons & Eras category for first time entrants, which I was so over the moon with. If you’ve not seen it yet check out “K IS FOR KYLIE - PADAM”.

The other category for more experienced entrants was Paradox & Illusion. Again, you have no idea what materials and what colour you are going to be sent, so whilst I had an idea in my head I didn’t know if it would work when the package arrived! As I’m used to adapting my ideas as I go along, I was up for the challenge.

So, this is my piece “Just an Illusion…”. I think there could be a better name, but couldn’t quite get it - so any ideas welcome! No placement this time, but I was just happy to enter.

The thought behind the piece -
My idea was to create the illusion of one hat that could turn into another. For this I picked two iconic traditional hats; the Top Hat and the Bowler Hat. Both were new styles for me and the materials received were also an experiment that were great to try. They gave a modern contemporary twist to the finished design and whilst these hats were originally predominantly made for the male population, I feel this one could be worn by anyone.
When put together the hat appears to be an extra tall Top Hat with the crin intimating to something underneath, but the secret is the top hat frame is removable and a bowler style hat emerges underneath, turning an illusion of one hat into another. In fact when separated you could create 2 separate hats, so it’s a 3 in 1 illusion!
Frame could be securely attached if needed

MATERIALS USED
Materials provided -
Visca hood, wire, petersham, crin and racello braid
Materials added -
Additional wire, ribbon and lining

Thank you @hattember for a great challenge.

#tophat #bowlerhat #hattember2026 #hatcompetition #millinerycompetition

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A glimpse inside the HATTEMBER 2026 Petite Gala, held at Embellish Atelier in Rozelle on 3 September.

Founded and organised by award-winning Australian milliner Catherine Kelly, HATTEMBER is an annual competition celebrating millinery, wearable art and the extraordinary skill behind every handcrafted piece.

This intimate evening brought together members of Australia’s millinery community to recognise the 2026 finalists and prize winners. It was a joyful celebration of imagination, craftsmanship and the enduring art of hatmaking. 🎩✨

#HATTEMBER2026 #EmbellishAtelier #CatherineKelly #AustralianMillinery #MillineryDesign WearableArt

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Blown away by the patrons comments on my hat! #hattember2026 @hattember

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Repost from @hattember
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The theme Icons and Eras inspired a wonderfully diverse and stunning range of millinery pieces in the Hattember2026 Novice Millinery Competition.. Each entrant was provided with a curated bag of millinery materials from @hatters_millinery_supplies . It included sinamay, feathers, veiling.
Thank you
@yukiedjay Model
@fancyboyphotography
Congratulations everyone for meeting the challenge.
@minxymillinery
@sidandmonmillinery
@beaumonthazel
Rachael Fenselau
@suess_by_cloof
Penny Joseph
@rachaelcollinge
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#itsallaboutthesash
#iaats
#fotf
#fashionsonthefield
#bestdressed

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Repost from @hattember
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Congratulations Top Ten entrants Hattember Millinery 2026
Theme : Paradox and Illusions
Hats were created by entrants with the curated kit of materials from @hatters_millinery_supplies
and included Racello Braid , Viscose , and matching grosgrain.
@silkyflora
@melissagayedesigns
@alanaenglishmillinery
@leteisha_millinery
@theheelsnwheelsgirl
18kamkam
@jameslionelking_costume
@araks_nazarian
@_bylilianabirchall
@nayanamillinery
Photography @fancyboyphotography
Model: @yukiedjay
Funds raised supporting @jskfund @sydneycommunityfoundation subfund
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#itsallaboutthesash
#iaats
#fotf
#fashionsonthefield
#bestdressed

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For those who love hats, a hat is never just an accessory. It is character, freedom, irony and elegance. Sometimes, even a little touch of madness.
Gertrude Shilling understood this better than anyone. At Royal Ascot, she turned every appearance into something unforgettable.
Perhaps that is why her story feels so close to the spirit of The Queen’s Hat family: behind every extraordinary hat there is a vision, a personality and a story worth telling.
To all milliners, creatives, collectors and hat lovers around the world: keep daring, keep creating and keep wearing what makes you unmistakably you.
🎩 And you, which of her incredible hats would you dare to wear? Tell us in the comments.
#TheQueensHat #lovehat #gertrudeshilling #RoyalAscot

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I am incredibly honoured to have been inducted into the 2026 Hall of Fame by the Millinery Association of Australia.

This recognition means so much to me, but it has never been about one person. It reflects a wonderful community of people who have supported, encouraged and inspired me throughout my millinery journey.

My heartfelt thanks to:
🤍 My loving family
🤍 My ever-kind and thoughtful partner, David
🤍 My wonderfully patient, long-suffering friends
🤍 My loyal customers
🤍 My talented teachers, mentors and students
🤍 My beautiful team—thank you for your incredible contribution. Watching where your own creative journeys have taken you has been one of my greatest joys.
🤍 Jenny Lyell, for believing in me
🤍 The models who brought my hats to life
🤍 The talented stylists and photographers who captured my work so beautifully
🤍 And the amazing people behind the scenes who keep the books balanced and everything running smoothly!

Without you, @embellish_atelier, @hatters_millinery_supplies and @hattember would not be what they are today.

A special thank you to @wendellt for this beautiful image, @irinakalonatchi for the exquisite fabric, and @ruthtatesydney for creating this gorgeous dress for me.

I am deeply grateful to be part of such a generous, creative and supportive millinery community. @millineryaustralia #mumofmanyhats

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What dress? 🤷‍♀️❣️

To compliment my pillbox hat for my @hatsbyfelicity FOTF Sponsorship Day at @broome_turf_club_ Kimberley Cup Race Day 🙌

I’d love your suggestions! 🤠

#hatsbyfelicity #millinerycouture #racewearmillinery #regionalmilliner #reddresses ❣️

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@embellish_atelier millinery @hatters_millinery_supplies @hattember

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Such an honour and happiness to see my Hattember 2025 winner hat featured in the Hat Academy May “Hat Headlines”.
Thank you @hattember for giving me the opportunity to push my boundaries and create hats I would have never thought of, thank you @hatacademy and @allportmillinery for teaching me over the years through your amazing courses and for all the great prizes you offered me. Without all the above things I wouldn’t have achieved all these! 🥰 #hatschapeauxandpalarii #romanianmilliner #hattember #millinery #hatacademy

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