Recently, Modish Threads discovered a rare gem, a Jack McConnell one of a kind, red feather hat. We are smitten and absolutely mad about this hatter. Keep reading to learn more about our little find and a legendary milliner.
He was an athlete, sailor and radio actor that discovered he was a hat making genius. After being inspired to make hats by a friend in the fashion industry that made hats he made his first hat as a gift for a family member. The hat was sold instead to a woman that offered to buy it before he was able to get it home to Tennessee (Stilley, 1975). He kept designing hats and he soon found himself designing hats for celebrities like Lana Turner and Joan Crawford. His unique designs especially his feathered hats were well loved and he became known as the "King of Millinery" according to Susan on the Charm of the Carolines blog.
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| Lana Turner |
He ended up producing hats on a larger scale under the Jack McConnell Boutique label, but he continued to make and design one of a kind hats called the red feather collection. These hats were distinguished from the larger produced (but still hand crafted) boutique line by a red feather being sewn under the label of the unique hats. These striking and rare hats are quite collectable like this black winged, wool hat seen in the photographs below. According to Wikicollecting unusual feathered Jack McConnell hats in good vintage condition are priced at $500 or more on 1stdibs and other sites.
Unfortunately, Jack McConnell passed away in 2005 and no longer can hand make hats. His tradition does live on through Cathy Jeanne a company owned by two sisters who purchased his label and continue to design hand crafted beautiful hats to this day with the Jack McConnell label.
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