Seeds of design:

A stylish hat warrants a stylish garden design. Following a trip to the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, Katrina drew on inspiration from a wonderful photograph.

The seed of inspiration

This is a wonderful photograph of a hat in silhouette, taken in 1950 by Louisa Dahl-Wolfe for the fashion magazines of the day. The hat was created by Madame Paulette (1900-1984), the queen of the milliners and one of the most important figures in 20th century fashion. Her exquisite creations were featured regularly on the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and crowned the heads of the rich and famous across the globe, among them Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Haworth, Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duchess of Windsor. She collaborated with Cecil Beaton on the hats for the 1964 film My Fair Lady, starring Hepburn. A fascinating character and a true pioneer, Madame Paulette is the source of inspiration for some of the world’s most respected milliners working today. The wonderful architectural nature of this hat coupled with the transparent material is truly fantastic. Following sinew with curves, it holds the head providing structure and form.

Transparent hat by Madame Paulette

The garden design bud

Strong forms fill the space with Avant-garde undertones, be in no doubt, this garden is setting out its stall to be slightly off the wall. A large paved circle in grey or black paving such as limestone or granite provides a suitable base for entertaining. A large, egg-shaped expanse of lawn fills the garden and is bounded by planting and a crescent of gravel dotted with ground cover planting. Two huge architectural structures are offset on the grass. Constructed from mesh or tension wire, they soar into the sky providing strong translucent shapes and diffusing the appearance of planting. Tall grasses create deep texturing and movement, reflecting the translucence in the hat.

Stylish garden inspired by a modern fashion icon

Other influences bloom

The strong shapes and lines of this stylish garden are deeply reminiscent of Lucienne Day‘s fabric designs. The sculptures of Barbara Hepworth are a strong influences as well, with the cookie-cutter shapes and mixed-media construction. Translucence and veiling are at play in the black toile veil. The crown of the Chrysler Building features for its strong, modern Art Deco shapes.

Barbara Hepworth and Lucienne Day feature as inspirations here.