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Halifax: DIY plumage

By Nadine LaRoche | January 20th, 2009 | 10:18 am

16 comments

The seed was planted when a funeral-themed party had me on the phone midday, trading up a lunch break for a fashion quest, locating a black half-cap and veil in one of Halifax’s goldmine vintage shops.  A few bobby pins later, and I’m hooked. Headpieces, with their drama, vintage appeal and immediate elegance, are my foible.

And so when a feathered number tucked into a friend’s New Year’s Eve outfit cued covetous chills, I was back on the phone, pecking in the numbers of every shop that just might house my pièce du plumage. Lady Luck Boutique (5519 Young St., 902-446-3060; 1869 Upper Water St., 902-444-3050), touted as the place to find a feathered headpiece, was fresh out of the comb style and these elven ears of mine can’t quite rock a headband. Biscuit General Store (1661 Argyle St., 902-425-5436, biscuitgeneralstore.com), where another little birdie told me I could locate this apparently rare accessory, was in the same boat.

Not an hour had passed since first giving in to my downy desires and I already knew where my then theoretical headpiece would debut. My favourite artist would be exhibiting in four days, and his first lady needed a wee creation of her own. But the short lead time (over a weekend to boot) meant an e-spree was out of the question (Etsy.com was mocking me with over a hundred pages of delicate little bursts of headwear).

My solution? Craft corner. When life—or your city’s limited boutique roster—throws you lemons, DIY. Click here for astep-by-step DIY guide to you own feather hairpiece.

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Join the discussion

  • Lindsay-Bea

    make it yourself!? YOU ARE SUCH A GENIUS!

  • Jenn

    Did this feather craze start with Carrie’s lament in the SATC movie that she put a bird on her head for Mr. Big, and even that wasn’t enough to stop him from jilting her? Regardless, j’aime beaucoup ton plumage – and I guarantee your pretty ears would look lovely accented by a feathered headband. I wore one from Biscuit for NYE, which was very festive even though I mistakenly left the price tag on!

  • Kathryn

    Oh you are so clever! You inspired many a covetous eye with that beautiful adornment.

  • anon

    A little behind the times. This is very 18 months ago.

  • Holly

    This is fabulous! I’m so impressed you didn’t alter your dream piece, and instead made a fantastic comb of plumage. So great!

  • Priya

    Good style is timeless, like a Chanel suit. I love that you wear what you love and make it personal!
    And by the way, saying something is “very 18 months ago” is VERY 5 years ago. Get with the times. :)

  • Bonnee

    Very clever Nadine! I’m big fan of your plumage piece!

  • anon

    No hatin’ on the writer or her very good craft skills, I just live by the belief that if its been done by Gossip Girl and tweens, it needs some time to breathe.

  • Jenny Coop

    GREAT step by step, Nadine! I can’t wait to make some on the next very cold winter night ( ie, the next 48hrs) Tres, tres beaux.

  • steph

    “So 18 months ago”? anon, you sound like a gossip girl.

    I think that even if we don’t all intend to wear a feathery flare in our hair, the concept is brilliant: do it yourself! That’s, well…classic.

  • Nicole T.

    This is undeniably cool and original, and I think it is more stylish to disregard trends and timelines than to cow-tow to what popular culture tells us is “hip” in the moment.

    Bravo, Nadine!!!

  • Jenn

    I, for one, have no shame in adopting fashion – and feather – trends from Gossip Girl!

  • fashionwriterintoronto

    argh y’all! Anon= not a feather fan the rest= a fan. The blogger is doing a good job to create a forum for beautiful things to be viewed and discussed [ hence a comment board] and let that chick or dude not like the style without the kattiness. Lets start a trend not make fashion synonymous with bitchy.

  • Jennifer Campbell, online editor

    Okay everybody, let’s stick to the post and not snipe at each other. Please play nice.

  • Ashley

    The DIY feather headband is so appropriate now in these shaky economic times..save money and look chic! Lovely!

  • Loveit!

    Hmmm. I’ve noticed that whenever someone loves or hates something fashionwise, emotions seem to get caught up in the debate. Maybe this is because fashion is a reflection of who we are, or maybe because we hate to see any one designer or trend slammed. Either way, maybe there’s a better or more constructive way to approach a fashion debate?

    My input-Yes headpieces have been around for the last few months, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something exspecially cool about making one at home. Would love to know if other people think that the amount of time something has been around has any baring on it’s appeal?

Neither the author nor FASHION Magazine necessarily agrees with the comments posted here. Editors will not correct spelling or grammar. FASHION Magazine reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely.

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