General News
14 September, 2024
Passion for fashion
A passion for colour and making women feel special sparked a fire in Dimboola resident Pauline Thomson, and has continued to serve her well in her endeavour of handcrafting fancy hats for special occasions.
For the past three years Ms Thomson's business, Hats by Pollyanna, has successfully supplied locals with gorgeous headwear for outings such as festivals, horse races, weddings and debutante events.
"I like making the ladies feel special and feminine," Ms Thomson said.
"I try to cater for everyone, of all ages."
Ms Thomson also said she strives to keep the costs of the hats low by not charging for labour, so that they can be enjoyed by anyone, and that the time it takes to make a hat can often vary.
"I don't charge for my time, because there's no set timeframe," she said.
"I only cover my materials."
She is already making steampunk hats ready for next year's festival, which have proved to be popular leading up to the last two events.
"The Forbidden Forest has a steampunk section and they stock my hats there," Ms Thomson said.
"I've had my hats worn to Royal Ascot and the Irish Derby.
"My hat was the winner of the millinery section at this year's Easter Races in Warracknabeal too."
Ms Thomson previously worked in the aged care and disability sector in Horsham, before switching jobs to Warracknabeal's Rural Northwest Health campus where she was a manager of leisure and lifestyle.
"I retired from that, and started making hats," she said.
Ms Thomson is a self-taught hat stylist and doesn't consider herself a professional in millinery, although she travelled to Adelaide to take part in a four-day course taught by well-known milliner Neil Grigg.
"It's amazing what you can learn on the internet," she said.
Ms Thomson has set up a "hat room" in her house to display all of her already-made works of art.
"It was supposed to be used as a lounge room but now it's the display area," Ms Thomson said.
"I try to keep it unique - not one hat is the same."
Ms Thomson said Spring Carnival season was her busiest time of the year, and that she is currently working on a hat for a customer located in Perth.
She also said many of her customers had brought their planned outfit with them to the showroom, so the hat could be matched accordingly.
"Customers normally buy what I already have, but I can custom-make a hat," Ms Thomson said.
If you are interested in seeing some more examples of Ms Thomson’s work, visit Hats by Pollyanna on Facebook.