Hats to highlight charity show
by Laura Mueller - Perth Courier (October 27, 2009)

Impeccably crafted hats that have graced the runways of London and Tokyo are coming to
Perth. Thirty-eight hats, custom designed for a charity fashion show to support breast cancer,
will be the highlight of the evening at Code’s Mill on the Park on Oct. 29.

The event is the annual fashion show hosted by Elysium, a local shop, but the hats are a new
twist this year. Darlene Rupert, who took over the shop in June, was inspired to feature hats
and headpieces of all styles when she visited her cousin, a professional milliner, in Wales
this summer.

The cousin, Barry Moss, and his partner, Alan White, design hats at their studio in Wales, which
are then sent around the world and sold in top department stores, including Barney’s in New York
City. “I knew my cousin was crafty, but when I was there and saw the hats, I said, ‘Oh my God,
Barry, this is wonderful,’” Rupert says. “The creative juices started flowing.”

Rupert knew she wanted to continue former Elysium owner Shirley Lotz’s tradition of putting on
the fashion show, but as soon as she saw Moss and White’s hats, she knew the exquisite pieces
would make for a very unique event. Alan White Millinery, the duo’s business, harkens back to
the glory days of hat making by using traditional methods and topnotch materials. “They are
very fussy,” Rupert says. “They will drive all over England and Wales to find the top-quality
feathers to use in their hats. Everything is from scratch.”

All of the hats are handblocked and finished using traditional millinery methods, Moss says.
They use only the best silks, straws and sinamay for their hats, and for the winter collection,
the pair uses wool tweeds, faux leather and faux fur from France. Hats are often custom-made
for clients’ heads.

Rupert returned to Perth with 30 hats and headpieces, which customers have been snapping up.
Only a couple of hats remain, but Moss will bring 38 new hats the pair designed especially for the
fashion show when he arrives in town this week.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Moss, who is originally from Ottawa, but lived in Watsons
Corners and Ompah for three years in the early 1990s. Locals may remember Moss from the
quilts he used to exhibit in the area and sell at Stone Cottage Quilts in Perth.

“I am so looking forward to returning to Perth from cold and damp Wales,” he writes in an e-mail.
“I have always had a soft spot for Perth and will enjoy every minute spent there.”

Fitting with his name, he also designs moss agate jewelry, which is available at Elysium. Moss
will be on hand at Elysium on Oct. 28 to answer questions about hats and the art of millinery, and
to advise women about the types of hats that would suit them. He will also style the models for
the fashion show on the 29th.

The show will feature styles available at the shop. Each of the volunteer models, who range in
age from 16 to 60 and in size from two to 18, will model a casual look, office attire and n evening
ensemble. Pink and white will be the theme colours as a nod to the event’s beneficiary: breast
cancer research through the Canadian Cancer Society.

Tickets for the event are $20 and can be reserved by calling 613-264-8857 or 613-267-1058.
Cocktails begin at 6 p.m. and the show will kick off at 7 p.m. The event also includes a silent auction.

More information about Alan White Millinery will be available on the soon-to-be-launched website,
www.hats-etc.com.

© Copyright (c) Perth Courier