The Bite Magazine Issue 17

with a flowery decoration but there was one who had a distinctive thorn design. One of the men wore a head- band with a futuristic skeleton-type design that reminded me of a creature from the Predator or Alien movies, while another had a turban-type hat with feathers going back but probably the most standout piece of the evening, was a guy in a black cap with a huge tas- selled curtain-like number hanging over his forehead. There was plenty to drink with choices of champagne, prosecco and other wines, as well as soft drinks, while people milled mostly round the sweet options which went like hot cakes in comparison to the savoury options. It was then time to view the collec- tions of hat designs that were set up in a separate room. This year’s exhibition followed the success of the 21 st Century Hat Exhibition held in 2015 at the same address but in the East India House wing. Curated by X Terrace Fashion Platform and Monique Lee Hylands- White with the help of fashion students from Coventry University London Campus, the exhibition aimed to show- case the most creative, innovative and cutting-edge hats from milliners across the globe. The theme of this year’s exhi- bition was the collaboration between art and millinery, in which over 250 applications were received. After much consideration, the panel finally selected 130 of the finest hats made by milliners from 20 countries including UK, Japan, Sweden, Australia, USA, Spain and Russia. The designated room was filled with so many fascinating designs that we didn’t know where to begin. Some of the hats were grouped in colour coor- dination while others had distinctive themes that seemed to complement each other. Emily Young Millinery’s black and white pillbox with an eye-opening POW caption was one design that certainly caught my attention. The piece designed by Emily Dobson who finally found her niche in hat design after a fruitful and varied career in the events industry, was inspired by pop artist Roy Fox Lichten- stein. Lafôri’s amazing Blossom’s Breath headpiece is a work of art that would have you staring at it for a very long time. Described as a fascinator with laces, it has intricate white pieces on branches of black wires that would cer- tainly get you noticed no matter where you go. This fascinating piece inspired by photographer Art Wolfe was created by Terrie Tavernier who resides in Spain and is not only a milliner but is also an interior and fashion designer who has designed jewels, bags and accessories for different brands. Australia’s Belinda Osborne whose Peacock Millinery brand showcased an eye-catching design called ‘A Dragon’s Tale’ at the exhibition was inspired by The Lord of the Rings films. The design in white with hints of pink on the tips is almost like a slanted ‘Z’ in a bird-like layer of feathers with one side reach- ing above the head while the other side is paralleled with the face. Another fascinating headpiece was from Franc- esca Bradshaw’s Twist Fashion brand, a design of red, white, blue and yellow ribbon-like strands with black piping twisted in an extraordinary style that is worn to the side of the head and will have you wondering where each of the pieces meet. Bradshaw who received a BA honours degree in Fashion and Tech- nology established her business in 2005 and started off by selling her hats on a small market stall in Manchester until it became a successful online fascinator hat retailer. One of Monique Lee’s creations is enti- tled ‘Interspace’ and inspired by the work of scientist Neil Bohr. The first ring is positioned behind the head while bite exhibition Image Courtesy of Eun Young Lee I mages Courtesy of Molly Bunce