Krasnova Modiste at the Castle

Cupcakes and Cashmere jacket (c/o Shopbop)
Majorelle sweater (c/o REVOLVE)
Rag & Bone jeans (c/o Shopbop)
Le Chateau boots (c/o) (similar)
Hat via Krasnova Modiste
Sezane bag (similar)
Keltie Leanne Designs ring (c/o)

I recall distinctly the first time a brand reached out to me about a collaboration. I was thrilled and then, as I continued to read the email, increasingly apprehensive; they wanted me to style hats from their collections. It was 2010. Aside from a few Easter bonnets, and the kind of practical winter warmers that are necessary when you grow up in a place where the temperature regularly dips below minus 30 degrees celsius, the only hat I had owned up to that point in my life was a Winnie-the-Pooh emblazoned bucket hat from Wal-Mart, a Christmas gift from a friend in ninth grade. It was about three sizes too big for my head, which meant I couldn’t see out from under it. I quickly concluded, because obviously in my mind I was already a style expert at fourteen (and I wish I could share a picture to prove how very wrong I was about that) that hats simply didn’t suit me. The Winnie-the-Pooh hat languished at the back of my closet and I never tried on another one. And so I sat nervously in front of my computer, trying to figure out how to respond to an email from someone who wanted me to wear hats. In the end, convinced – as many of us were as nascent bloggers – that if I said no to one collaboration, no one would ever contact me about another, I agreed to feature the hats. I received five different styles, each decorated with large floral appliques. Even in my most girlie days, they were too over-the-top for my taste. But when I tried the first one on, my life changed. I hated the floral applique, but I loved that hat. The shape, the fit, the thick black felt… everything was perfect. Suddenly, a whole new world of accessory possibilities opened up for me. I had a lot of lost time to make up for, and I acquired at least four more hats, the beginning of a full-fledged collection, that season. From fedoras and Panamas to wide-brims and baseball caps, it’s rare that I meet a hat I don’t love. I can find a great hat almost anywhere. But I admit that after that first collaboration, I have a soft spot for the bespoke variety – not only because high street stores at best offer small, medium and large, which is a far from adequate hat size range, but because the detailing on bespoke hats always breathtaking (even if it isn’t to your taste.) Naturally, when I discovered Krasnova Modiste, a bespoke milliner here in Paris, I fell in love instantly. I’ve been lucky to have the chance to style a few pieces from the Krasnova Modiste sample range, including the gorgeous NY capeline that came along with me to Sainte-Sabine. I admit that I had a different vision of how I wanted to tell this story, one that involved an airy white dress and, if I was lucky, a guest appearance from some of the adorable local animals. But grey, misty weather in Burgundy meant I had to change my plans completely. And in the end, I’m glad I did. As much as I would have loved to showcase this hat in a dreamy editorial, the fact is that this is exactly how I am most likely to wear a hat in my daily life; paired with jeans, my beloved leather jacket and a crossbody bag. And besides, this way, the hat is the star of the show.