East Village Hats- Profile
Introduction by Judith Boyd
It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I introduce Julia Emily Knox, proprietress of East Village Hats and milliner extraordinaire. I usually visit her hat shop during my trips to NYC to be enchanted by her artistry and a superb millinery experience! I have been a fan or Julia’s “Urban Turbans” for several years and the beginnings of an East Village Hats collection in my hat room.
Over a year ago, I acquired a top hat named the “Deadman.” Handmade by Julia from emerald-beaver-finish-fur felt, it’s four inches tall with a two-inch brim and fits like a glove. It’s one of the stars of my winter/fall hat collection, and I think of East Village Hats whenever I wear it. It always receives compliments wherever I go, and its color is unique and inspiring.
The shop is filled with an incredible selection of felts or straws, depending on the season. The selection of headwear to choose from is vast, both for men and women. If you are a hat lover and haven’t been to East Village Hats, it’s time to stop in for a visit. I’ve found it to be a fascinating destination filled with art and charm.
I’m thrilled to introduce the polk-dot collection from Julia’s spring line to the Hip Silver community. The headwear is exquisite, and there’s a style and shape to enhance many a spring ensemble. There is nothing more captivating than a well-made chapeau!
About This Designer
Our hat curator takes us to meet the wonderfully talented hat designer, Julia, in her shop!
The Barbara Feinman Millinery, established in 1998 by Barbara Feinman, metamorphed into East Village Hats in 2016. The new storefront retains Ms. Feinman's original designs, and sometimes she returns to the premises to trim hats and teach workshops. trimming her signature styles and teaching workshops. East Village Hats, with her successor, Julia Knox, at the helm proceeds as a rare, local business. In addition to making hats and teaching. hat-craftsmanship, East Village Hats offers reblocking, restoration, and retrimming of vintage hats and old favorites. Bring your hats in when in town; there’s plenty to see at East Village while you wait.
Julia Emily Knox herself is a proficient English Milliner, trained in New York, who heads up her small team of milliners at East Village Hats, crafting the hats onsite through traditional tools, methods, and materials. Julia received training as a milliner at FIT and joined Barbara Feinman Millinery in 2012, taking over the business when it moved to it's current location in 2016.
In the store workshop, surrounded by an incredible selection of felts, straws and trims, the milliners work with a sewing machine dating back to the industrial revolution. The block collection, on which the hats are molded, has been built over a period of 25 years ever since Ms. Feinman first started her career as a milliner. It includes blocks from more than a century ago alongside samples from every decade since. Julia has continued to grow the selection, adding blocks of her own design to this gallery of hat history.