A Parade of Hats

"Where do they get inspiration?" is a question I often ask after seeing a designer showcase, especially fashion where designers are required to quickly {and regularly} come up with fresh seasonal collections. It's the same question on my mind after I attended the "Schiaparelli-Prada: Impossible Conversations" exhibit at The Met.

Yesterday, we dug around to find where Miuccia Prada gets her inspiration when designing her collections. It turns out that she will use anything from an era, a car, to festivals from all over the world, and turn out a spectacular set of outfits and accessories.

Today, let's investigate where Elsa Schiaparelli gets hers, especially when she designed her outrageous hats.

via People.com

Remember the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton? Guests were dressed in their finest and the ladies wore hats. Princesses Eugenie & Beatrice came in these over- the-top hats. These were not designed by Miss Schiaparelli, but I'm quite sure they're right up her alley.

You see, Miss Schiaparelli loved to shock people with her fashion. This allowed her to be different. Here are some of the hats she designed: 

via metmuseum.org

A cocktail hat made of grapes and leaves.

via metmuseum.org

A hat that looks like a thatched roof from an 

exotic location or a gold Christmas tree. 

via met museum.org

A hat made of feathers that closely resembles hair. 

via ironingboardcollective

A lamb chop-shaped hat. 

via thecultureconcept.com

Her popular shoe hat.

At the beginning of her career, Miss Schiaparelli worked closely with other artists like Surrealist painter Salvador Dali. This collaboration could have sparked her out of the box thinking, inspiring her to create her most memorable pieces like this shoe hat and lobster dress.

So the next time we're in a rut, going through creator's/writer's block or feeling uninspired, maybe a collaboration with another crafter/artist/writer is in order? We might just come up with our best work yet.