Tag Archives: bridal millinery

Races, Rainforests and a Rebrand

Posted on August 28, 2025 | 1 comment

Well, goodness me… my last post was way back in February, and what a whirlwind life has been since then!

The 2025 Broome racing season has now wrapped, and was another great season. I am endlessly grateful for my beautiful clients – who return year after year with your visions, your faith in me, and your friendship, as well as the new faces who joined me this year. It is such an honour to create for you all. Your ideas stretch me, challenge me, and keep me forever stepping outside that comfort zone – which, as every creative knows, is where the magic really happens. For this, I’m so very grateful.

Life has been full to the brim. I celebrated 30 years of calling Broome home – yes, I arrived in 1995, fell instantly in love with this wild, magical corner of the Kimberley & it’s crazy characters, and I know my Broome-time is far from over. There will be many more milestones to celebrate in this place I proudly call home.

My first Broome Birthday, icecream cake & export can
with new friends Burke & Lucky *– June 1995*

In March, I was super proud to be chosen to represent Small Businesses of the WA electorate of Durack, as part of the National Showcase, at Parliament House, Canberra; exhibiting for sale a small collection of millinery, and selling two of the three pieces to a visitor to Parliament House from Kazakhstan.

Another exciting chapter has begun with the design for creation of my bridal millinery collection, due to be launched later this year. The fabrics and materials I’ve sourced are so beautiful – I can’t wait to share these designs with you.

And then, of course, there was my Milliner on the Move adventure with The Homestead Hub Creatives Camp in Far North Queensland in May. Three days and nights immersed in the rainforest, exploring in the rain (because of course, that’s what happens in a rainforest), and sharing the most wonderful yarns and laughs with a treasured small group of like-minded souls. This trip filled my creative cup to overflowing. Inspiration is everywhere in a rainforest, and I returned buzzing with ideas for both the bridal collection and my race wear & event creations.

Back in Broome, the end of May rolled in and with it the Broome racing carnival. Cue the mayhem – hosting guests at my accommodation, The Quarters, working in my studio, and squeezing in every moment of racing joy possible (because we all know I hate to miss out). It’s always a high-energy (slightly mental), time of year but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love hosting, I love sharing Broome with people from all over the world, and I love creating for Broome’s racing season. Congratulations again to the Broome Turf Club for another brilliant carnival of racing.

This year I once again had the joy of sponsoring the Kimberley Cup Fashions on the Field and the calibre of entrants was simply outstanding. My judges had the hardest job. Huge congrats and thanks to everyone who participated and who’s effort made the day with their creativity and style, and heartfelt thanks to all my clients and friends who continue to adorn my millinery and make me the proudest Milliner of Regional Australia.

Kimberley Cup FOTF 2025

On a personal note, I was incredibly proud to wear two very special creations of mine this season: Maba and Heart Strings.

These headpieces carry a deep family and friendship story. They feature vintage millinery flowers my mum discovered in her mother’s trinket tin – over 70 years old and still as beautiful as ever.

Maba honours my mum’s mother (who passed when mum was a little girl), as does Heart Strings, which was born out of a collaboration with my dear friend Sara Storer, who wove her own treasured stage performance jewellery history into the story.

These are the kinds of projects that make my heart sing, pieces that live on, with stories stitched into every fold and flower. You’ll hear our full Heartstrings story soon .. and more on the next Flic & Sara collab.

And because I can never sit still too long, I’ll let you in on a little whisper… there’s a rebrand brewing in my world. I can’t share too much just yet, but I promise it’s exciting. Oh – and did I mention a cheeky invitation to exhibit in Italy next year? Stay tuned, because that adventure might just be around the corner.

So here I am, wrapping up another Broome season, feeling thankful beyond words. To my clients, my friends & family, my supporters near and far – thank you. And now, we look ahead to spring carnival, to new collections, to bridal dreams, and to whatever magic comes next.

Bring it on.

Until next time – keep smiling,
Felicity (Flic) x

PS – If you’re coming to play in Broome, come stay with me at The Quarters 🙂

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Tagged bridal millinery, Broome, Broome Cup Day, Broome races, Broome Turf Club, collaboration, Creatives Camp, Durack Electorate, Fashions on the Field, Felicity Brown, FOTF, Hats by Felicity, Heartstrings, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kimberley, Kimberley Cup Day, Kimberley Cup Fashions on the Field, Maba, Milliner on the move, millinery, millinery clients, National Showcase, race wear millinery, Rainforest, rebrand, regional Australia, regional milliner, Sara Storer, Spring Carnival, The Homestead Hub, The Kimberley, The Quarters Accommodation, vintage millinery flowers

Release the Crown Jewels – the runway of the Bay

Posted on February 25, 2021 | 1 comment

It was after a few beers with my brother, Billy, when the idea came to me. We often have a yarn and a few ales over the phone – living on opposite sides of the Country, it’s how we keep in touch. This particular time he’d mentioned a woman he met who was working with Sydney’s Mardi Gras. She’d been surprised to hear I was a milliner in Broome, and looked up my instagram.

That was pretty much the conversation – but in my sleep – my never resting, always busy sub-conscious mind came up with a plan, and the next morning I awoke with huge excitement; – I was going to create millinery for Broome’s Mardi Gras – I was going to become the Milliner to the Queens.

Busting to tell my house guest at the time, Margaret, I followed her around the kitchen, as she was still wiping the sleep from her eyes, blurting my Mardi Gras plan that Hats by Felicity would create for rural and regional women, AND Queens.

I was designing creations that day for a few little here I am pieces to enter the industry. I was SO pumped to have realised another outlet for my creative trade. With the demise of race-wear millinery due to covid, I had pivoted into bridal, launching my bridal collection in January, and now it was time to start creating for Mardi Gras.

Previously, when I created for the runway of New York Fashion Week, I was in my absolute creative element, but until now, I hadn’t realised a market for these elaborate creations. I was back in the creative zone that I had experienced for my international shows.

Hats by Felicity – New York Fashion Week SS2017

In it’s 7th year, the Broome Mardi Gras is a week of events bringing our little town together and alive, in what prior to Mardi Gras, was a terribly oppressive time of the year.

The heat is still here, don’t get me wrong, but now it’s lathered by glitter.

Broome is blooming in February, – our hotels are filling as the week unveils, the restaurants are booking, the positive economic impact is nothing short of invigorating – there’s literally dozens of events, from story time with children, to makeup with teenagers and the Cabaret, the Dance party, the pool party – bingo, breakfasts, the list goes on.

Broome is alive – and I am thrilled to be part of the excitement.

Lucy from Broome Pride, the woman behind the organisation of events, heard I was creating this collection and invited me to showcase at the “Pride Tide” gin launch event, Saturday 13th February.

The timeframe was the shortest I’d ever created to and for a runway collection, I needed materials – I needed ‘bling’ and the response to my call out was phenomenal – it made my heart sing. Friends, The local Broome Aqua ladies, Sun (Dance) Studios Broome, The Chamber of Commerce and Regional Arts WA filled my studio with bling.

I locked myself away for the short few weeks and created a 24 piece collection that unveiled on the runway of the Roebuck Bay Hotel outdoor venue, as part of the launch of Moontide Distillery’s new gin.

The “Pride Tide” Launch featured the launch of the Hats by Felicity “Crown Jewels,” and I couldn’t be more excited, thankful and proud.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better – the local pole dancing troupe were available to model my creations.

“Can we get out our sass” they asked? “Oh my Lordy yes”, I said.

There was no better way to officially launch as the “Milliner to the Queens,” than with the “Crown Jewels” collection paraded by local models filled with personality and sass, showcasing to a capacity local crowd, at an outdoor venue in Balmy Broome, filled with colour, shimmer, sweat and fun.

Enjoy the footage of the launch and if you know any Mardi Gras Queens, and fun-stars who love to get amongst the February Mardi Gras festivities, share the launch around. My “Crown Jewels” collection is now officially unveiled, launched and available, and there’ll be more glitter to come over the years.

Photography by Laura Gass Photography | Footage by Lana Reed Productions | Thanks to Moontide Distillery, The Roebuck Bay Hotel and Broome Pride.

Now … It’s time for another beer with Billy

x flic

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Tagged beers, billy, bridal millinery, Broome, Broome Chamber of Commerce, Broome Pride, brother, Cabaret, covid, creative, creative trade, Crown Jewels, Crown Jewels collection, dance party, gin, glitter, hats, Hats by Felicity, Instagram, Kimberley, Lana Reed Productions, Laura Gass Photography, Mardi Gras, MardiGras, mardigrasmillinery, Milliner to the Queens, millinery, Moontide Distillery, New York Fashion Week, pivot, Pole Dancing, pride, Pride Tide, race wear millinery, regional, Regional Arts Fund, Regional Arts WA, regionalartsfund, Roebuck Bay Hotel, rural, Sass, Sun Studios Broome, Sydney, Western Australia, women

Time to unveil

Posted on January 14, 2021 | 2 comments

I feel a bit of a fraud to be the Milliner on the Move, and not be on the move, but who would ever have guessed the world would stop travelling.

This time last year we had no idea what chaos lay before us and I certainly had no foresight that I’d enter 2021 as Broome’s Bridal Milliner, but here we are, pivoting our way through the chaos that is covid 19, and with complete acknowledgment of the seriousness of the virus, from a personal business perspective, I have to say, I’m grateful for the opportunities that presented to me in 2020.

On an average year I would create up to 100 pieces, however in 2020, I created three. One for Darwin, one for Gasgoyne Junction and one for Ascot Perth, and these made my heart sing.

People would say to me “you must be loving all this time to create,” but what many don’t realise is it’s not just about time, it’s about creativity and to be honest, from March 2020, I completely lost my mojo.

This isn’t to say business came to a halt, in fact, it was quite the opposite – I went into overdrive with business development for both Hats by Felicity and an entirely new business concept called The Homestead Hub, and it wasn’t until I realised the latter, that my creative mojo returned.

Bridal was always an area of millinery that I reserved for friends.

Each time I worked ‘on’ my business, bridal appeared in the notes but I always managed to keep it veiled, that is, until now.

Fast forward to 2021, and to the world that is, and I couldn’t be happier or more excited to enter the year formally launching my first Hats by Felicity Bridal collection.

Like all businesses, there are changes for Hats by Felicity – working closely with clients on a one to one basis in my little Broome studio is now something of the past, but as a milliner creating for rural, regional and remote women, regardless of where you reside or whether you are an impending bride, or off to the races, – I will continue to create collections of one-off, unique and beautiful creations, and present these collections as a continual showcase, available for sale on my Hats by Felicity website.

To keep informed of new creations and my creative business directions, I encourage you to like and follow Hats by Felicity Instagram and Facebook, to subscribe to my Hats by Felicity newsletter as well as this Milliner on the Move blog, and if you’d like to be in that private space, and the first to know about new releases and informative hat related teachings, stay tuned for the new Hats by Felicity private Facebook Group.

My millinery’s creative calendar will go something like this – January is the launch of my bridal collection (yay and thank you for your awesome support).

February will introduce another exciting millinery direction and collection – double yay; and from March I will focus on the 2021 race wear millinery collection, with the most positive of vibes that regional races will return.

Thanks for continuing to support my little business over the past year – even without me creating a collection. Your liking, sharing and engaging in conversation with Hats by Felicity kept my business alive and my spirits high, and for this I thank you.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2021.

Click to enjoy my Hats by Felicity Bridal launch short film.

x flic

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Tagged Bridal, bridal millinery, bridal veil, Broome, Broome milliner, Broome's bridal milliner, Business development, creative mojo, hats, Hats by Felicity, Hats by Felicity Bridal Collection, Milliner on the move, millinery, mojo, race wear millinery, The Homestead Hub, veil, wedding veil