General News
30 September, 2024
Passion for hat fashion
Dimboola resident Pauline Thomson has a passion for colour and making women feel special which has sparked her current endeavour of handcrafting fancy hats for special occasions.
For the past three years Ms Thomson's business, Hats by Pollyanna, has been quite successful, with customers from all over purchasing hats for outings such as horse races, weddings and debutante events.
"I like making the ladies feel special and feminine," she said.
"I try to cater for everyone of all ages."
She is now also making steampunk hats ready for next year's festival.
"The Forbidden Forest has a steampunk section and they stock my hats there," Ms Thomson said.
She said that she was currently creating a hat for a customer in Perth.
"I've had my hats worn to Royal Ascot and the Irish Derby," she said.
Previously Ms Thomson worked in the aged care and disability sector in Horsham before switching jobs to Warracknabeal's Rural Northwest Health campus, where she was a manager of leisure and lifestyle.
"I retired from that and started making hats," she said.
Ms Thomson is a self-taught hat stylist and doesn't consider herself a professional in millinery.
"It's amazing what you can learn on the internet," she said.
She also travelled to Adelaide to take part in a four-day course taught by well-known milliner Neil Grigg.
She has set up a "hat room" in her house which displays all of her already-made works of art.
"It was supposed to be used as a lounge room but now it's the display area," Ms Thomson said.
"I try to keep it unique - not one hat is the same."
She recently won best millinery at this year's Warracknabeal Easter Races.
Ms Thomson said spring carnival time was her busiest period of the year.
She said customers brought their planned outfit with them so the hat could be matched accordingly.
"Customers normally buy what I already have but I can custom-make a hat," she said.
She said her products were cost-effective, with hats priced at under $200.
"I don't charge for my time because there's no set timeframe - I only cover my materials."
Visit Hats by Pollyanna on Facebook for more information.