Bio:
Jan Wutkowski is a practicing milliner in Wilmington, North Carolina, and is the owner of That Hat! a bespoke millinery company. Her custom, one-of-a kind hats and headpieces include traditional to abstract, bridal to costume; several have been seen on the silver screen and in museum displays throughout the country.

Jan studied millinery with Waltraud Reiner at the Melbourne (Australia) School of millinery, and has taught old-world hatmaking throughout the United States since 1998; in 2006 she will begin teaching internationally. She teaches straw and felt blocking, wire construction, buckram construction, sewn braid, flat felt skirting, blockmaking, French flower making, featherwork, and sinamay blocking and free styling.

Artists Statement:

It has been said there are only 7 basic shapes of women?s hats. Employing those seven shapes, I use anything from traditional felt and straw to new age plastics and composites, then blur the edges of fashion, art, and craft to create innumerable styles and shapes of hats and headpieces. By doing so I hope to elicit personal expression from the women who collect and wear them?allurement, seduction, mystery, desire, capriciousness, formality, whatever they wish to be for the moment.

The crafting of a handmade hat is very sculptural, my favorite aspect, due to the traditional hand manipulation processes in millinery. A mix of color, line, form, dimension, and the spirit within the materials all play an important part in interpreting my strongest influences: costume from the ?20s-?50s, modernist jewelry, seashells, and Asian design.

My objective in implementing the millinery arts is to utilize creativity, expression, artistry and design, in alliance with identity, environment, and tradition--to make hats and headpieces that embody my trademark, ?The hat on your head is remarkably representative of what?s going on inside your head.?

Email: jan@hatshatshats.com

Website: www.hatshatshats.com

Listing Information:
Visual: Classes / Workshops / Instruction
Visual: Fabric
Visual: Fabric Embellishments
Visual: Fashion Designer
Visual: Fashion/Clothing
Visual: Textiles - Clothing

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Member Since: 11-29-2005

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