My Story

My passion for millinery and fashion began with my mother, who has a beautiful hat collection.  Her mantra is that clothing should be an expression of your personality and that the clothes and accessories you wear should always make you feel wonderful, and I've always tried to keep that in mind.  Learning how to sew at a young age was a great outlet for my creativity and lead to making clothes and helping local theaters with costume creation.

The transition from sewing into millinery was a happy turn on my path started by a family friend.  She was getting married and had tried on veils and fascinators, but couldn't find anything that was unique and expressed her personality. She asked if I would be willing to make one and she loved the bridal headpiece I created.  Several weddings later, including my own daughter's, I was making hats for the bridal party and guests alike!

The passion for hats seemed to be contagious as friends and family continued to come with their own ideas, an outfit, or an occasion and I continued to create unique and beautiful pieces.  And with that my hat art began to blossom and Hat Art by Cathy emerged.

My goal is to design beautiful creations for women and girls by merging whimsy and modern sophistication.  I am greatly inspired by shapes and coloring of leaves and flowers, and many of my hats reflect some element of nature.  The paths we travel are rarely straight and my road to millinery was a long one, but I'm so glad to be here!

If you're interested in creating your own piece for that special occasion or just a sunny day, whether based on one of our existing hat designs or if you have something in mind that we can bring to life, please contact us.

I look forward to creating a piece of hat art for you!