My first millinery piece after shoulder surgery in October 2025 was a circus tent-themed top hat created for The Corset Revival Project.
The original concept
The project, devised by Andrea Djilali of Circular Fashion Incubator CIC and Dr Esther Pugh at Leeds Beckett University, invited artists to transform a deadstock corset into a piece of wearable art. As a milliner, I always knew my corset would become a hat.
I submitted my application shortly after surgery, whilst on very strong painkillers. Some of my original ideas – including performing sea lions and an acrobat suspended from the tent roof. fortunately didn’t make it into the final design.
When I first read the brief, I wanted to create something that celebrated three themes which run through much of my work: British textile heritage, collaboration and community. Through friends in Yorkshire, I had become familiar with the work of Codswallop CIC in Guiseley and was inspired by the way they bring new life to a historic building whilst respecting its past. Their plans for The Great Yorkshire Circus was the perfect starting point.
When an extra small waist won’t fit round your head
When the corset arrived, I was surprised to discover just how small it was. Though I’m extra small in height, this corset was extra-small and wouldn’t fit around my head without loosening some of the lacing. So thus, I modified my design and decided to make a feature of the opening, making it into the entrance curtains of the circus tent.
Creating the structure required a considerable amount of experimentation. I used a combination of hat blocks and an ice bucket as temporary forms. Then I designed a wire framework to fit this shape, starting off oval at the base, narrowing at the corset waist then widening into a circle for the tent roof. There were indeed some complicated calculations and spreadsheets, but in the end a spirit level and a good deal of judgement just about saved my sanity.
I also had to improvise for the brim. I thought either my trusty Ikea lazy Susan or a huge lace pillow would be bug enough, but my maths was a bit out. So I made a block from several layers of cardboard, duck tape and silver foil, as taught at Morley College in theatrical millinery. I used fosshape left from the infamous sprout hat and felt I purchased at a fabric flea market in Germany as the foundation.
The textile link between Shanghai and Sudbury
As the project brief was to use only upcycled materials, there were lots of stories in the materials used. The tent sides were from an old Boden Abraham Moon tweed jacket and dress that I remember wearing on my first audit lead in a new role in Shanghai. Black sequins from mask making made the doorway, and remnants of Stephen Walters silk were the curtains, and I used their silk swatch cards to make the curtain tie backs and tassels.
The finishing touch for the main body of the tent was an elephant, inspired by a silk pin cushion bought from Jim Thompson in Thailand for my fortieth birthday. Again made in silk from the Stephen Walters Mill Shop. There were several versions before it gained approval from “the zoologist”, but eventually it took its place beneath the tent.
My favourite section was the tent roof. The shape was formed on a lamp shade, then I combined felt tessellations and ribbon origami bringing together techniques learned over many years from different teachers and workshops.
The hat was exhibited at Leeds Beckett University as part of The Corset Revival Project. I was immensely proud of what I had acheieved and what it represented. As I put together a brief video outlining the construction, I realise the hat became something of a record of my millinery journey, but a piece built from years of learning, travelling, collecting materials and developing skills.
Unfortunately, someone else must have loved it too. In April 2026, after the exhibition had finished, the hat was stolen from storage in Leeds. At the time of writing, it has not reappeared.
What Happens Next?
I always said I would never make another. The original was unique and many of the materials cannot be replaced. Yet recently I have found myself wondering about a successor. Perhaps using a corset made by my mother-in-law. And in my own purple, green and white colour palette. One thing is certain, maths and graph paper will be involved.
