The milliner's lexicon is very extensive, and there are many words whose meaning you may not know. This article highlights the most frequently used terms in this field.
- A milliner: A milliner is a creator of unique hats that are handmade using the sensitivity and dexterity of the person creating them.
- Hat maker: This term refers to a hat manufacturer who uses an aluminium-based press to make their hats. They are therefore all identical and mass-produced. The difference with a milliner lies in the fact that the hats are therefore not made by hand but industrially.
- Brim: Part of the hat that surrounds the base of the crown, more commonly called the «brim» of the hat.
- The crown: The central part of the hat, which encloses the head.
- Primers: This is a product that hardens the raw material to give it a certain rigidity. Hats made on a press are often more rigid, whereas milliners work materials in a more supple and lightweight way.
- Plumassier: A person who prepares and sells the feathers used to adorn our hats.
- The milliner's block: A head made of wood, fabric, or felt used by milliners to try on hats and create around this base.
- A form: wooden forms used to shape hats.
- A stretcher: An instrument used to enlarge a head covering; it is a rounded shape fitted with a screw allowing the hat's opening to be widened.
- A cock: An egg-shaped iron that is heated and used for ironing fabric.
- Bibi: A small women's hat worn at the front of the face.
Now that you know the meanings of the most important words in the world of hat making, you'll be able to read all our articles like a true connoisseur!
