When America’s high society desires an award-winning hat atop their head for Derby Day, they call Jill Henning. (Or, as one client did, call on the way home from the Derby to place an order — from a private jet.)
Henning, of Jill Henning Fineries, has established her spot in the world of fashion as a bespoke milliner (a hat designer who custom makes each piece for her clients) from the most unlikely of places — her studio in Toledo. Her creations have become mainstays at the show of toppers on display at the Kentucky Derby, where women revel in one of the only occasions besides a royal wedding where such elaborate headpieces are the standard. Henning often sews into the night for a month leading up to the race — her hats can cost hundreds of dollars, but even in these budget-conscious times clients seek out her imaginative designs.
“I seem to survive by catering to women who have expendable income,” Henning says. “I concentrate on quality, not quantity. My customers know what they want and are willing to pay for it. The more complex the piece the better.”
The designer had a knack for creating compelling accessories even as a sixth grader, when she made cameo rings and sold them at Anthony Wayne Trail Elementary School. She studied and dabbled in various forms of art and fashion throughout her life, making her own clothes and attending classes at the Toledo Museum of Art. “I’ve pretty much gone full circle in the apparel industry,” she said. She happened upon her career as a milliner when she couldn't find a hat she liked. She fell in love with the craft and started her line in 1999.
She’s won the hat contest at the Devon Horse Show (judged by Carson Kressley of Bravo channel’s “Queer Eye” fame) three years running, and her work makes an appearance in a portrait painted by artist Dori Spector. While not everyone will have the fashion courage to don a hat a la Kate Middleton, to Henning it's a trend worth trying. “Now that millinery is all the rage I say take advantage of it,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to wear a headpiece of any type — go for it.”
Orders for hats from Jill Henning Fineries
can be placed online through
www.jillhenninghats.com or by telephone
at 419-841-9106.
