May Magazines 2018 89128 | Page 69

Local Artisan Creating works of art thru millinery design is my passion in life. Framing a lady's face to accentuate her beauty brings awe, smiles and pleasant laughter to my clients. When a client first discovers a beauty in the mirror and then realizes she is seeing herself, it is most rewarding. The confidence of a woman in a hat changes her per sona in an instant. Seeing this transformation while crowning herself in one of my designs is the most satis fying moment of each day. Whether designed for church or Churchill Downs, a woman wearing a beautifully adorned hat makes a statement like no other. The chapeau needs little introduction; a symbol of nobility and class that’s existed for centuries, it elevates the most common of looks to royalty status. Louisa Voisine Millinery crafts stunning pieces of art for the head. Radiating a beauty and grace that’s con ­ veyed within her creations, Louisa’s exceptional eye for detail and style is unparalleled. Her passion is evident, with award winning cre ­ ations taking center stage both locally and around the country. Yet Louisa has much more to offer, giving freely of herself and her work to help those in the community. We asked her about her art, what inspires her and what she has planned for the future. Making hats is somewhat a lost art. What attracted you to the chapeau? I began designing costumes and hats in high school as a member of the Thespian Society and found I was happiest backstage rather than on stage. After studying business and fashion design, I worked in the travel industry based out of Boston. After worldly travels I was excited about getting into my creative field and worked in LA designing for the film and television industry and was Director of the Film and Television Department for Banana Republic . I honed my skills in France under the guidance of Queen Elizabeth's hat designers. The rest is history. I made my way to Las Vegas to design for shows and found myself designing for private clients focusing on millinery design. How has what you do progressed over your career? Do you have any favorite pieces you’ve created over the years? May/June 2018 Progression is a natural process in design because collections come out close to a year in advance. With hat designing I design my collec ­ tions only one season in advance. I have the ability to do this because I don't mass produce product. I have discovered throughout my career the fiber I like working with the most is a beautiful plant fiber known as sinamay. My favorite pieces are all sinamay award­ winning designs, and include the Kentucky Derby Hall Of Fame, Delmar Glamour Hat opening day and the London Hat Week Winner Hat of the Month. Of all my award­ winning designs these are my three favorite. 69