Contemporary Millinery: Hat Design and Construction Paperback – April 28, 2022

I gave it 5 stars but there is one thing that could really be improved. The print is small and it's a very faint gray that is practically unreadable. Even with my glasses on in a brightly lit room I need a magnifying glass.Please make future editions with black print.

I had high hopes for this book. What I needed was a book that started with hat construction basics like how to block a basic felt fedora or straw hat from capelines and flares, then moving into increasingly more advanced construction techniques; a textbook so to speak. It is impossible to find recently published instructional books about millinery that accomplish this. I think this author could have successfully filled this void by crafting a deep instructional exploration of the craft since she clearly has the experience and does well in her direction. The book starts out with basic information on materials, terms, stitches, etc. However, the projects jump straight into these highly-designed, sculptural confections that do little to walk you through the foundations of millinery construction. I’m not fully understanding the “why’s” of what I’m supposed to be doing. So disappointing. Other things about the book that are confounding are the terribly light and barely-there text font, as well as the visually distracting jewelry (lots of rings) being worn by the hand model. Will be returning.