Jill Courtemanche Millinery

Collaborations

JCMillinery x Silviyana Bridal

CollaborationsJill CourtemancheComment

One of my favorite things to do is work with like minded designers, so I was thrilled when Seychelle Wilmouth, the Founder and CEO of Silviyana Bridal reached out to me about collaborating on a line of Eco Friendly Bridal Hats.

Seychelle and her team of independent designers have created a beautiful and sustainable line of wedding dresses and accessories made primarily from pina fabric which is woven from banana and pineapple leaves mixed with silk and organic cotton. Silviyana works directly with a women’s cooperative in the Philippines to weave the eco fabrics by hand (you can read more about the process here).

All photos in the set above by Elusive Photo

When Seychelle first approached me, we discussed the inspiration behind her designs and concepts for bridal hats that were both modern and timeless. We decided to start with a capsule collection of three silhouettes: a modern pillbox, a softer floral band with delicate net veiling and a classic wide brimmed hat. All of the pieces are created from pina paired with hints of traditional millinery materials such as high quality grosgrain ribbons and veiling from France.

All photos in the set above courtesy of Silviyana

You can see the results in the editorial photos above and in the working photos from our studio below. All of these pieces are available to try on and purchase through Silviyana. They offer a unique “try at home” Bridal Box service which is a fabulous, non-pressure way to shop bridal in the comfort of your own home.

JCMillinery + YELP

Collaborations, Horse RacingJill CourtemancheComment

Truth be told, I love hosting parties. The prep and the planning, the details and jushing, it's kind of a happy place for me. So when Yelp North County called and asked if I would like to collaborate with them on a special girls night out in my shop to celebrate the opening of the Del Mar Racetrack (otherwise know as the official start to hat season), I was totally in! 

First, we decided to break the event into two nights so we could create a more intimate setting and give each elite Yelper a chance to work with me and create a fun, feathered headband as a keepsake. Secondly, we called some of my favorite local vendors and asked them if they would like to join in the fun (which thankfully they did)! Last but not least, we called in a photographer to capture all the magic. 

Scroll through the pictures and see how we transformed the Solana Beach JCM shop and parking lot into a fabulous event space. I love how much fun all of these amazing women had playing dress up for the evening, and I think it is safe to say we all had a blast celebrating the racing season here in the Cedros Design District

 

A huge THANK YOU to our friends at Camera Camper for providing the most amazing photo booth experience ever, (I mean oh so SoCal and oh so fabulous), Lockwood Table for providing delectable nibbles for the evening, Bang Pop Shop for blowing my mind with the most couture cake pops ever (I mean those cake pops are wearing fascinators) and of course to the amazing team at Yelp for bringing the whole thing to life! 

A Glorious Collaboration

CollaborationsJill CourtemancheComment

"Lynnie's Lace" in process in her studio and the finished product in the shop.

One of the things I love the most about finally having a flagship store for Jill Courtemanche Millinery is that I get to meet the most fantastic people and chat with them about their lives and their passions. One of the fabulous women that I have been lucky enough to cross paths with is Lynnie Diede of Lucky to be in Love.

Lynnie is an amazingly talented designer, painter and illustrator with a great sense of humor and real zest for life. Like me she is completely willing to jump in head first so I knew we were going to come up with something glorious when she agreed to collaborate with me on a limited edition collection of hand-made and hand-painted Panama hats.

My daughter Tabitha and Lynnie's son Holden chillin' at the park.

My daughter Tabitha and Lynnie's son Holden chillin' at the park.

If you know me, you know I am obsessed with leopard print (it's a total neutral). So for our first hat I asked Lynnie to create the perfect leopard print on a rich caramel straw and she totally nailed it! The print is so amazing that all I needed to trim it with was a flexible wire and a wide black grosgrain binding from France. The over-sized 8" brim is the most glorious beach hat and the perfect accessory for a black bikini and the 5" brim is my new daily go to chapeau.

For the next hat in the collection, Lynnie recreated one of her delicate lace patterns on a very finely woven Panama straw and the result is breathtaking. So simple and beautiful, I decided to finish it off with a simple black grosgrain ribbon from France, it's truly the perfect hat for a little black dress this summer.

I am so excited about these hats and I am so thrilled that I was able to work with such a talented artist to create them! All of the hats in the collection are signed and numbered and these designs will only be around for this season, so don't miss out!

xo j-co