Lina awakens to the warmth of the sun as she passes by the kitchen window. The momentary embrace sparks a desire to step outside for a stroll, to soak up those delicious rays of sunlight. They are calling her name, Lina.

When dreaming up this Spring Summer Collection, I considered how crucial a hat is during the warmer months as protection. Aside from function, what’s the feeling we most want to capture during this time? Undoubtedly, for me, it’s that carefree feeling of simply throwing your hat on and running out the door to embrace the sun. Sandals, a pretty dress, a playful attitude and a lovely straw hat to top it off. Let life be light and easy, and may our fashions reflect this.

Necklaces are undoubtedly a big love of mine, as most outfits aren’t complete if I don’t top them off with a statement piece. I’m happy to skip nearly all other types of jewellery in order to let my necklaces reign.

I attribute this affection for necklaces to the influence of my Grandmother and her love of bold jewellery. She taught me to never fear oversized more dramatic pieces for everyday wear. She would often wear tasteful, simple styles of clothing and let the accessories she wore jazz up her outfits.

It was in my high school sewing class that a passion for making clothes was ignited. Many evenings in my youth were spent impatiently sewing something I could wear to school the next day. Reflecting upon these past creations, I cringe at my amateur attempts, but also admire the gusto in which I approached my sewing machine.

The desire to continue making clothing never faded but slowly became repressed, and later dormant. I began to concoct a range of beliefs that forced me to push this interest aside; it wasn’t a worthy pursuit, it’s not the way I should be spending my time, it was too superficial, I simply couldn’t do it well enough to justify the effort.

My husband and I regularly get together with a few friends for a weekend dinner and movie night. Good company, delicious food, and a film guaranteed to leave us with more than a few questions. Our mandate is to watch movies that are visually engaging but also thought-provoking and often obscure. More often than not this directs us towards foreign films, and films that have cinematic achievements.

A few months ago, before we went into social isolation, we watched a variety of French films from the 1960s: Breathless, directed by Jean Luc Godard; Cleo from 5 to 7, directed by Agnes Varda; and The Fire Within, directed by Louis Malle. Immediately I was intrigued, and then I was quickly smitten. The style spoke to me and I wanted to see more.

I can’t deny it, without a doubt, my favourite straw to create summer hats from is Panama Straw. Not only do they have an impressive history, but I love that they are still handwoven. The body of them is light yet strong and overall they have an everyday wearable look that continues to be associated with elegance. They are my primary choice. So much so that my Spring Summer Collection is entirely made up of them.

The legacy of Panama Straw dates back to the 1600s. These handwoven gems, produced in Ecuador are made from toquilla straw, belonging to the palm family. The skill that it takes to weave them continues to pass from generation to generation. Panama hats have been exported all over the world, and were highly celebrated in Europe during the Belle Epoque time period. Making them famous by wearers such as Theodore Roosevelt. During the 1940’s they were Ecuador’s number one export.

Every city has its own patina. The grand sum of its parts. A tangible spirit that can be felt in those initial few steps along the sidewalk. All our senses taking in new scenery.

The moment I arrived in New York, I was greeted with a familiar feeling, as if I were once again embracing an old friend. I have been lucky enough to get to know New York over the last four years and it’s a city that’s found its way into my heart.

This winter it finally dawned on me. I can have a complete seasonal wardrobe ready to wear, if I plan a little ahead. This occurred to me when I had a specific look that I wanted to sport but found myself floundering once the season arrived. I delayed going out to look for a few key items, such as wide-legged jeans, 1970’s style, and some cashmere sweaters, which in the end weren’t as easy to find as I had imagined. I assumed that I could waltz into a few stores and voila; everything would be waiting for me. It got me thinking about how great it would be if I could transition into the next season with more grace and preparedness.

Beautiful yellow silk for a camisole, green bakelite beads needing to be restrung, corduroy to make into pants, numerous hats that took a wrong turn and need to be redesigned, bins of colourful fabric that I have marked as potential. The list goes on and on. Patiently these little dreams wait for me to pluck them from the shelf and sculpt them into their intended form. I’ve done a great job of collecting materials. The studio is full of pretty things to play with.

My hands are never still, but with commitments that always take priority, and a consistent stream of new inspirations to distract me, it’s no wonder that many ideas just get shelved, only to be forgotten. Yet they don’t disappear. They take up space, cluttering up my visual field and acting as reminders of inspiration that has yet to be fulfilled.

My fall fashion inspiration can be summed up in two words, berets and boots. For me, the two go beautifully together. Both are timeless and weather appropriate. I also can’t help but conjure up images of waltzing down the street looking like Faye Dunaway from Bonnie and Clyde.

The traditional beret is made on a knitting loom, then felted mechanically. Once felted they are dried on moulds which determine the size. Since I don’t knit, but wanted to make some berets for my Fall/Winter collection, I created mine out of felt by blocking them on a wooden hat form. This gives them a more structured look than the soft knitted variety. In millinery, we refer to berets not by the material, but instead by their particular shape.