i got the idea for a big tall hat made with my handspun akuta's 'owl noodles' and the plan to make a hat more wearable than a very pretty one in my possession. the inspiring hat is one made by my friend betsy, and actually belongs to my sister, but is for some reason in my house. it's a lovely hat, but nobody ever wears it. except my father, when he's pretending to be sun ra. the betsy hat is lovely, but it has never been comfortable to wear, nor does it provide much protection from the elements.
i thought, a big, wedding cake-height hat made of handspun -- and augmented with a rhinestone brooch or some such -- would be more suitable for me, and would actually get put on when i left the house.
here's what i came up with. the "brooch" on the hat now is in fact an earring with no match -- the shape of both the hat and the ornament evoke something rather military for me (whose military, i do not know.)
of course in the long run we realize this hat and betsy's hat have almost nothing in common other than being light-colored, brimless hats, but we don't go through life trying to recreate point A.
you may be noticing the "wall of tarot" behind me there. that's in the den. it's one uncut deck in two sheets. tarot makes great wall art.
here's a funky in-the-mirror shot.
it's a nest! it's a cake! it's military! fashion buzzwords for february 2005.