Dear Friend,

 

I am writing to share with you the inspiration and design process for the oversized sun hat. I developed and designed the oversized sun hat in my fall semester of 2024 at Sacramento City College in the historic costuming class with Professor Lynne Giovannetti. I learned a lot during my time with Lynne about technique and admired her passion for precision.. something that cannot be achieved when rushing the process. 

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I drew inspiration from Balenciaga's 1967 wedding ensemble, specifically the veil. I decided to go with a 6 panel skull cap and a covered button detail at the center to resemble a baseball cap, giving the hat a more casual and wearable feel. I debated between adding straps for functionality but decided against it to keep the same attitude and couture feeling of wearing a veil. For this project I pulled a wool and cotton blend in a pastel plaid print. I thought the plaid would add more visual interest. The fabric was sourced from my local Cancer Society shop. As for the lining I chose a tan sateen cotton made in Japan sourced from a local family owned fabric store. I first drafted an draped my sample at the half scale and then created a final sample in the half scale as well before, moving into the full size where I created another sample before coming into the final product.