Milliner Biographies
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Veronica Chin, Burning Bush Millinery
Veronica Chin drew upon a teacher’s vast knowledge of hat making to create Burning Bush Millinery. After receiving her MS in Textiles, Environment and Design from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, she has taught beginning and advanced millinery for over twenty years in Chicago-area colleges including College of DuPage, Ray College of Design and The International Academy of Merchandising and Design. Over the years, Veronica has taught hundreds of students, including many who were inspired to become professional milliners themselves.
Over thirteen years ago, Veronica sought an outlet for her own artistic energy, and Burning Bush Millinery was born. Her hats are all one-of-a-kind, ranging from the classic to wearable art pieces. "I believe in quality workmanship and materials," Veronica says, "Most of my hats are hand-blocked and hand-sewn. Many of the trims are crafted by myself as well." In addition to producing high-quality millinery, she seeks to delight as well, "I truly enjoy it when I see a customer smile and maybe even giggle at my hats," Veronica says.
Veronica’s designs have been featured on local Chicago news stations, (Channels 5 and 7) local news papers (Chicago Tribune, Sun Times and Pioneer Press) and a host of fashion magazines, such as Women’s Wear Daily and most recently Victoria Magazine’s August and December 2002 issues. Victoria Magazine awarded Veronica’s millinery design expertise along, with fellow members of the Millinery Arts Alliance as "Women Entrepreneurs of the Year" for 2002. Chicago- based Fashion in Fashion Asian American Magazine is featuring a profile on Mrs. Chin from fashion thru teaching to millinery.
Veronica markets her hats through an ambitious schedule of wholesale, trunk shows and artists' markets. Throughout the summer, she sets up shop in the sunshine at venues all over the Chicago area and beyond. Her collection is available at her studio, 847.615.9035 and at all MAA events.
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Loreta Corsetti Millinery
From the Italian Renaissance to the height of Art Deco, Loreta Corsetti has a passion for the past and the evidence of it is clear in her line of lavish chapeaux.
By applying these aesthetics, she opened a boutique in 1989 featuring rare, collectable vintage apparel combined with her own unique designs. Loreta’s focus changed when she noticed that her clientele were helplessly drawn to the hats that she made mostly to adorn her shop. Converting her business from retail to wholesale, she started creating one of kind chapeaux for the best boutiques in the city.
Things began to chance again when in 1995, she helped form the Millinery Arts Alliance along with Laura Whitlock and others. With awareness of this new millinery force spreading, her business grew and women came from everywhere for the experience of shopping couture millinery.
Known for her unequaled adornment and exquisite craftsmanship, Loreta utilizes Old World techniques to produce innovative hat shapes in fine fur felt, Italian straw and horsehair, Swiss paglina braid and wispy abaca fiber. These canvases prime her true art, embellishment.
She describes swirling pieces of fine straw in black and bone with a spray of dancing feathers, delicate jet beading and hovering butterflies as an example of the way she incorporates the rare vintage pieces she gleans from antique markets
in London, Paris and Florence. Loreta’s own detailing, silk rosettes, intricate
hand beading, and exquisite appliqués merge the present with the past. Though she admits to a tremendous admiration for the great designers, Balenciaga, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, all of who inspire her, Loreta finds that embracing new and experimental ideas is the key to her success.
Miss. Corsetti, believes that observing a woman in a fine chapeau is like ones first unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum: bold, beautiful and timeless.
Loreta Corsetti Millinery was featured in Elle Magazine’s city guide, listing the best custom-made accessories in Chicago, Women’s Wear Daily and can soon be seen in Bride Noir Magazine in the spring. Her work is known internationally through publications in London though she is most proud of being named "Entrepreneur of the Year" for 2002 from Victoria Magazine along with fellow members of The Millinery Arts Alliance.
Hats are available by appointment only in her Lincoln Park Studio, Loreta Corsetti Millinery Atelier 1137 N. State (at Elm) suite 2R Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 640-6004 and (773) 755-5387, Only She 8 East Delaware PL Chicago, IL (312) 335-1353 and at all MAA events.
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Lisa Farrell Millinery
Lisa Farrell has a diverse professional background from costume design to retail sales of women’s apparel and accessories for the home. As a milliner, she designs inspired fashion pieces intended to be worn and admired.
Lisa’s hand-blocked felts, straws, and fabric hats are often embellished with her own handmade flowers. Silk ribbon embroidery, feathers, and other well crafted
trims beautifully detail her classic and elegant one-of-a-kind creations. In pieces such as her signature chapeau, which she calls, "Big Bird," Lisa shows a sense of whimsy as well. The hat is a black satin pillbox crowned with rows of glorious black iridescent coque feathers. The effect is humorous, startling, and no less than glamorous. When asked to describe her work, Lisa sums up her hats as, "Simply divine little confections for the head."
Lisa, was recently honored, along with fellow colleagues of the Millinery Arts Alliance as "Women Entrepreneurs of the Year" by Victoria Magazine December
2002 issue. Her dazzling millinery designs have been featured in Women’s
Wear Daily and numerous local newspapers such as: the Chicago Sun Times and Tribune to name a few.
Lisa has recently realized a life-long dream by opening her own millinery shop and studio in downtown Highland Park. Inspired by the millinery salons of Paris, Ooh-La-La, her tres chic shop, showcases her work as well as that of the other members of the MAA. The stunning décor features the sculptural beauty of Lisa's collection of over 200 vintage hat blocks. Ooh-La-La, 441 Central Ave., Highland Park, IL 60035 phone: (847) 433.5646. Hours 1 p.m. to 5 p.m Tuesday and 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Saturday, or by appointment. Closed Sunday and Monday. Lisa Farrell Millinery is also available at all MAA events.
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Carla Faso Millinery
Carla Faso designs beautifully handcrafted hats that are vintage inspired. After receiving her BS, specializing in Clothing and Textiles, from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale she went on to further her design education at the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago. While attending IADT Carla won a fashion design scholarship to study at the Paris Academy. In Paris Carla had the rare opportunity to study under the accomplished milliner Prudence, who designs hats for Vivienne Westwood. With a diverse background in clothing design, textiles, retail buying, and business management Carla chose to focus her passion toward the millinery arts. Carla finds inspiration for her designs from the vibrancy of nature’s colors and textiles and from the varied richness of past cultures, art and historical events. With taking inspiration from the past, her hats are cutting edge for today’s fashion trends with emphasis on color, shape and detailing.
Carla’s hand blocked straws, felts, fabric and crochet hats are usually embellished with vintage finds or her own hand crafted flowers and beaded trims. She believes that a beautifully designed hat can transform the wearer to an elevated sense of confidence, sophistication and flirtation.
Hats are available by appointment only in her Glenwood, IL studio, (708) 955-3432 and all MAA events. More photos of her couture hats can be viewed at www.carlucimillinery.com
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Laura Hubka Millinery
In a former life, Laura Hubka suspects she was a sculptor. Although her designs often begin on paper, it is not until her hands and materials converge that her creations begin to take on life. Like all artists, Hubka has a philosophy which maintains that the creation of beauty is not a job, it is a divine imperative. Sometimes your career chooses you.
Laura Hubka takes great pride in her craftsmanship as a milliner, and she trims each of her pieces with a delicate hand. To her, the creation of a work of art is all about color and texture, the contrast between a plush velour and a shiny vintage buckle. The silhouettes are often classic and never fussy. The lines are clean and flattering to a woman’s face. The result is contemporary, wearable and shamelessly feminine.
Hubka, a native Chicagoan, has studied millinery in both her hometown and New York City. She has participated in events with the Chicago Cultural Center, the Peninsula Hotel, and GenArt. In 2004, Hubka was honored to receive GenArt's prestigious Fresh Faces in Fashion award. Her designs have been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, Women's Wear Daily, and Chicago Social. Hubka's work is available at Ooh -La-La in downtown Highland Park and at all Millinery Arts Alliance events. Photos of her couture hats and a list of upcoming events can be viewed at www.laurahubka.com. Her popular line of polar fleece children's hats, duly titled "Hubcaps for your Head." is available at many stores in the Chicago area, and a complete list can be found at www.hubcapsforyourhead.com. Laura can be contacted at (773) 761.5904 or at laurahubka@aol.com.
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Laura Whitlock Millinery
Milliner Laura Whitlock draws upon skills she learned, "Creating hats for characters from Juliet to Cleopatra to Lady Bracknell," to create period inspired hats with a decidedly contemporary flair. Laura refers to the fact that she began professionally as a milliner for theatre. "After receiving my BA in Theatre, with an emphasis in costuming," Laura explains, "and a lot of art history thrown in, I worked in regional theatres including San Diego’s Old Globe, The La Jolla Playhouse, and The Denver Center. I was fortunate enough to hone my skills with some of the finest theatrical milliners around."
Since settling in Chicago twelve years ago, Laura has continued to create hats for the stage as well as for film. Her local credits include work for The Court Theatre, The Lyric Opera, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. For the screen, she has created hats for The Babe, The Hudsucker Proxy and My Best Friend’s Wedding. Laura also teaches millinery and costume crafts to students at The Theatre School of DePaul University.
This costuming background sets the stage for her own line of hats, Laura Whitlock Millinery, which she founded in 1990. Her work includes pieces in fine fabrics from warm wools to lush velvets to airy silk organza, finished with impeccable hand workmanship. She creates hats, which range from cozy, practical winter cloches to fantastical floral cocktail whimsies. Laura is proud to list among her accomplishments having been a past president and a founding member of The Millinery Arts Alliance, Chicago’s only organization of
professional hat makers. She was thrilled when the organization was named
Victoria Magazine’s "Women Entrepreneurs of the Year" for 2002.
Laura's current collection of hats can be seen by appointment at her studio by telephoning (773) 381-2295, email llwhitlock@yahoo.com. Laura's collection is also available at all MAA events.
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