Modeling my gorgeous new custom made Honey Pot Creations tilt hat on a windy day in Oliver

Outfit details

Vintage inspired custom made mustard yellow tilt hat: Honey Pot Creations

Golden blonde coloured hair net/thin snood: eBay

Faux diamond stud earrings: Probably either Claire’s or eBay (had for years)

1940s brown fur stole: Bought at the 7th annual Rutland Antiques & Collectibles Show

1940s red crepe dress with silver toned bow brooch: Amazing gift from my cousin Sylvia (who also gave me this stellar coral hued 1930s/40s dress)

Ruched c. 1940s mustard yellow gloves: (probably) eBay

Green cross body style handbag: eBay

Nude seamed nude stockings: eBay

Vintage inspired brown t-strap peep toe sandals: Gift from a dear online friend

Lip colour: MAC Russian Red
Photography by Tony Cangiano  

♥ ♥ ♥

Much had been with the case with Osoyoos until last spring, the wee little town of Oliver (located between Okanagan Falls and Osoyoos) has been one of those nearby spots that always proved immensely elusive when it came to taking outfit photos there. We'd head off merrily from Penticton towards the furthest reaches of the Southern Okanagan, say something along the lines "Ohhhh, we'll finally get some snaps in Oliver this time!" and low and behold, it wouldn't happen.


Either the weather would be too uncooperative, we'd decide to keep going to Osoyoos and not stop there, we'd need to rush back to Penticton too quickly, the spot where we wanted to shoot would be closed, or some other factor would pop up and we'd head home empty handed on the photo front (or at the very least, ultimately shoot in a different town that day).

Well, not this latest time! No siree, bub! On a day recently that was alive with skin pricklingly cold winter air, we pulled into the parking lot of the main community park in Oliver, unpacked the camera, shivered across a field of winter beaten grass poking out from aging snow to a concrete walkway and bridge, and finally shot some pictures in this wee town.

Taking the staring role on the fashion roster that day was this incredibly lovely bespoke hat that was very kindly made for me as a review gift by skilled UK milliner Alison Daily of Honey Pot Creations.

Alison and I discussed some of the elements of the hat, such as colour and general style before she began work on it, but beyond that, the end result was a surprise right up until the moment it arrived from across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to me here in Penticton. It did so, I should mention, in a very sturdy kraft hat box stamped with Honey Pot Creation's logo all over it and tied up with a lovely yellow satine ribbon, and it is here where I continue to house this splendidly pretty topper between wears.

Inspired directly by the charmingly fantastic tilt hats that were in vogue during the 1930s and 40s, and which now find great favour once again with vintage hat collectors and wearers the world over, this elegant little mustard yellow hat is a skilled work of art.

It features hand stitched ribbon embroidery that creates a gorgeous floral pattern, is immensely study (two wee loops of elastic on the the underside, which I slide bobby pins into to attach it to my hair), and very well constructed. It's also wonderfully lightweight, which makes a great hat for days when one is going to be up and fully dressed for long spells (I'd worn it the previous day as well, in that case for about fourteen hours straight and on the day of this shoot, for at least another ten, and in both cases it was as comfortable as having a cloud perched atop my head all day long).

Alison excels at the art of creating beautiful custom made, vintage reproduction, and vintage inspired hats (as well as vintage reproduction bras, handbags and other assorted lovely, and very fashionable, items that any vintage adoring gal would go weak in the knees for), a point which is evident the moment you visit either her etsy shop or her brand new website, Honey Pot Creations.

As she specializes in custom orders, you won't find a massive array of items listed on either at the moment, but in a way that's intriguing and appealing unto itself, because it highlights the fact that Alison has such a passion for creating one of a kind pieces for her customers around the world all the more (some of which can be seen in her site's photo gallery).

In addition to sharing photos of this gorgeous little tilt hat with you here today, I'm thrilled to let you know that Alison is currently offering all Chronically Vintage readers 20% off their orders from her etsy shop when you use the coupon code MADMARCHSALE between now and March 31, 2014.

A hat this eye-catching and special unto itself already goes a long way towards making an outfit. To help it shine all the more though, I went with a palette of bold, unintentionally traffic light inspired colours, forgoing patterns in favour of the texture that a marvelous 1940s brown fur stole I purchased at last autumn's annual Rutland Antiques & Collectibles Show delivered to my wardrobe for the very reasonable price of $30 (it was in mint condition when I bought it, despite its age, and still is after many wearing throughout this chilly winter).

It was windy that afternoon down in Oliver, let me tell you, but my Honey Pot Creations hat stayed firmly put and even offered a wee bit of much needed warmth as winter's freezing temperatures ate away at both the model (me) and photographer (Tony). The sun that was out (and causing me to squint, though I didn't really realize it at the time) that day was just for show. It was mighty cold, yet, I swear, wearing these warm, almost fiery colours did help in their own way to heat me up a smidge and made for the perfect companion to Alison's incredibly pretty handmade hat.

I really, really adore this chapeau (it's the first primarily mustard yellow hued one I've ever had) and have been wearing it often ever since arrived from the talented hands that made it in the UK, so I'm sure you'll see it again in future outfit posts to come. I feel blessed that the artist behind Honey Pot Creations made this work of millinery art for me, as well as that she's extending such a generous coupon code to all of Chronically Vintage's readers.

Thank you very much for both, Alison, I sincerely appreciate it and can scarcely begin to tell you how much I flat out love this stunning vintage inspired tilt hat.