Broome Turf Club | Milliner on the Move

Tag Archives: Broome Turf Club

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

Meet the Milliner

Posted on March 23, 2024 | 2 comments

Okay, so it feels like ages because it actually is ages since I’ve written a blog post, but this doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing; in fact, I’m excited to announce – I am writing a book.

Yes, last year I made the commitment, not only by saying it out loud, (which is bloody scary in itself) but I also committed with an accountability group and a plan.

Serendipity stepped in and introduced me to these gorgeous ladies, who are also writing, from New Zealand and Queensland; so we seized the intro and made a commitment to keep each other accountable to writing our books, and it’s been a game changer!

We’ve never met in person, but my gosh, I look forward to each Friday, when we meet on-line to write.

The other exciting update is I have launched my Meet the Milliner, Studio Experience in Broome.

For years people have asked if they can drop in to meet me and see the studio and the collection, and although I’ve always tried to make this happen, these last minute requests are not always possible. So now I have a system to book this visit when you are planning your trip to Broome.

Loved these women! — *Love this group of fabulousness!*

I’ve created a really lovely experience to share from my backyard studio. And yes, of course we can have a little glass of bubbles. Why not?

Here’s the link and feel welcome to share this with any friends of yours coming to Broome.

Meet The Milliner Studio Experience in Broome

And now for my collection update … and without getting too bogged down in the story of my delayed start to creating this year’s millinery magnificence, I’ve had some forced time out of the studio, thanks to white ants coming up through the cement floor. They also got into my vacuum cleaner which gave me one hell of a ZAP!

In addition to the ant issue, I also had the mystery of something running amok in the studio of a night, opening the door each morning to foam heads, hats and headpieces strewn across the floor. I had no idea what was going on but when I opened one morning to find my beautiful blue bottle smashed all over the floor and hat boxes tumbled from their stack, I decided to climb the ladder and block the small holes into the ceiling where my mystery mate must have been coming in through from the roof; it was either that, or I had a ghost. But I’ve since seen this cheeky monitor looking most displaced, so I think my ghost of a culprit was this goanna, who apparently doesn’t mind a termite or two.

Honestly – only in the Kimberley!

Subsequently, my millinery collection for 2024 is off to a most delayed start, so I’ll see how I’m going over the next few weeks, and confirm the date of my collection reveal.

If you’d like to be kept updated about the Book, the Experience, the Collection and more, subscribe to my Milliner on the Move blog and sign up to my Hats by Felicity website mailing list – these two sites are from where the updates will come.

I won’t clog your inbox, I’m way too busy creating millinery to be sending dozens of emails …

As for the milliner on the move’s inspiration for creation, (apart from ghosts, termites and lizards), there is a pretty amazing trip in the plan, deep into the Kimberley, – I’m already excited to design and create a collection inspired from this amazing part of the world.