Video of 1939 Walter Florell hat, exhibition text read: As dynamic accessories, hats often allow designers and wearers to stretch the edges of traditional expression. This playfully oversized hat draws inspiration from the designer’s heritage, recalling the Tyrolean hats worn as part of German tradition and at Oktoberfest celebrations. Typically worn by men, this piece was marketed as a women’s accessory, the whimsical scale and dramatic feather shifting the design from folk to fashion and from masculine to feminine. Vanessa Lopez (American) "Old Fashioned" hat, with artist statement: Artist statement Chicago is the birthplace of not only Bes-Ben millinery but also the hometown of a 1940s favorite cocktail, the Old-Fashioned! This turban-style bandeau hat pays homage to both Windy City icons. Much like a proper Old-Fashioned cocktail, this hat would not be complete without its garnish. To mirror the use of unconventional materials in many Bes-Ben designs, a beaded ribbon of dehydrated orange skin, an artificial cherry, and a pheasant feather cocktail pick accent the hat, complete the aesthetic of the Old-Fashioned cocktail. Cheers to two Chicago legends! In background, late 1930s Hattie Carnegie design, exhibition text read: The relationship between feathers and hats has been historically fraught. In the …

Video of Allison Lyndes's hat “Roll for Initiative," the first prize winner for the Milliners Guild exhibition. Artist statement read: A whimsical, modern silhouette features motifs drawn from both the game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and game-themed Bes-Ben hats. To 'Roll For Initiative' in D&D determines players’ turn order—the higher number you roll, the more courageous your character is in joining in the action. The central button base evokes a dragon’s hoard, encrusted with several hundred beads and 140 hand-drilled polyhedral gaming dice individually stitched to the hat. A hand-painted miniature hero figurine poses as if challenging the dragon. Bes-Ben was also a storyteller in hats, and I was inspired to combine the exuberance of both D&D and his work in my design.