About – Silverhill Creative Millinery
“Why can’t people dress like that anymore?”
“I wish hats would come back!”
If you’ve ever thought those things, you’re in kindred company here.
Kristin’s passion for theatre and for vintage clothing styles — particularly of the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s — led her to create her first hat.
Who Makes These Hats?
Silverhill Creative Millinery is a one-woman millinery studio located in Vermont.
Kristin Silverman is the designer and owner behind Silverhill Creative Millinery.
Since establishing Silverhill Creative Millinery in late 2012, she has sold her millinery to customers across the United States, and to Canada, Israel, the UK, Australia, Norway, and Hong Kong.
Primarily self-taught, Kristin has also learned from renowned international millinery instructors at Millinery Meet-Up and online at Hat Academy.
The Studio
Working out of her studio in Vermont, Kristin creates one-of-a-kind hats and headpieces completely by hand, using traditional millinery techniques.
Silverhill Creative specializes in unique and artistic hats in everyday, easily wearable shapes, such as fedoras, berets and cloches. Hats sold in the online shop are in stock and ready to ship. Bespoke orders are also available.
Silverhill Creative Millinery designs have been worn in weddings and in musical theatre productions — but most often as an adornment for everyday life!
With couture technique, trims are sewn on by hand, never glued on! Kristin has gained a reputation for her focus on the fine details of finishing a hat.
How the Hats are Made
Felt or straw hat bodies are stretched and shaped by hand over wood hat blocks. A different wooden form is needed for every size and shape!
After the material has dried, it’s removed from the hat block. The excess is cut off, and the shape is finalized by wiring the brim if needed and creating the finished look with ribbon binding, folded edges or raw trimmed edges.
The inner head size band, the brim edge and all trimmings are stitched on by hand. This truly sets a Silverhill Creative Millinery hat apart from mass-produced hats, which may feature wobbly sewn lines or even glued on decorations!
Embroidery, beading and other elaborate trimmings are all done completely by hand.
Customer Testimonials
This is simply the most beautiful hat I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. I’ve bought quality hats before, but NOTHING compares to this gorgeous cloche.
— Michelle
You can see the time it took and the stitching and we have a poor vocabulary to express how grand and beautiful it is. Thank you.
— Lynn P.
Your trim work on this hat (and on all your hats) is a work of art. This gift you have places you in a league of your own.