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.
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