Makers Making: Brooklyn Milliner Brookes Boswell

Makers Making: Brooklyn Milliner Brookes Boswell
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Brookes Boswell, a Brooklyn milliner who learned the craft during an apprenticeship with a classic New York hat-maker, finds inspiration for her elegant, handcrafted hats from a multitude of sources: "I look at a lot of vintage photos, street style photos, art, and other designer's work. I might be interested in the color palette of a random photograph or the textures on a handbag."

For her current Spring / Summer 2014 collection, Boswell found herself captivated by two sources: a series of photographs by Los Angeles-based photographer Uta Barth, and forsythia blooms. "The photos featured a bare tree viewed from the ground looking up into the sky. And forsythias are a shockingly vibrant, acid yellow color. So I wanted to create a collection that was about structure and texture using natural straw and black felt with some crazy, bright yellow accents to throw things off a bit."

We visited Boswell's Vinegar Hill studio recently, where she took us through her hat-making process.

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