Vintage hat admirer creates a new career from the top down

Five years ago, Penny Rieck of Highland Heights closed the book on her long career as an office assistant and began a new chapter in her life as a hat designer.

Rieck had long dabbled in hat-making, but her technique needed development and polish. For that, she enrolled at the Virginia Marti College of Art & Design in Lakewood to study millinery couture.

It must have been a good move on her part, because two of Rieck's designs are on display at the Kentucky Derby Museum, as part of the museum's "Derby Hat Exhibit."

"I heard about the Derby Museum contest and that each designer was allowed to enter only two hats," Rieck recalls. "So I entered two of my designs, and both were chosen."

"Hats by Penny" is what Rieck calls her custom design business for women and children's chapeaus. In years gone by, there was a time when no well-dressed woman left home without a hat. They're more of a rarity now, but there still are plenty of women who think a fancy headpiece is the ultimate accessory. These women rely on milliners like Rieck, who keep hat hope alive.

What styles of hats do you design?

I design many styles. Each hat is made by hand, so I can combine brims and crowns, mediums and finishes to create a hat reflective of one's personal style. Among the styles I design and make are wide-brimmed hats, fedoras, trilbys, cocktail hats and church hats. The occasion or event for which a hat is needed also contributes to the style.

Do you have an existing line of hats for sale, or is it strictly custom request?

I have ongoing lines which can be found at different boutiques and galleries around town. My Web site lists current shops where my hats can be located, or upcoming trunk shows. But I always look forward to custom orders and requests from clients. Turning their ideas and suggestions into a hat of their dreams keeps my techniques fresh. I never tire of hearing "That's just what I had in mind."

How closely do you follow mainstream fashion silhouettes and colors?

I do monitor the fashion hat scene here and abroad for styles and colors, but I do not feel obligated to reproduce current fashions. I like to adapt the season's trends to my own interpretations and style.

Is there a particular style of hat that wearers seem to favor right now?

A smaller, modified version of the trilby or derby hat is being shown. Also, close-to-the-head cloche styles and bucket hats are popping up. These styles are found in soft colors of fawns, creams, pastels and other muted colors in suede, felt, tweeds and leather. Adorning these hats are buckles, leather, ribbon embroidery, feathers and jeweled pins.

Will you restore or redesign old hats for customers?

Restoring and restyling old hats is a joy. The quality of the older felts and straws is not found easily today. A vintage hat can be restored to its original style, or the hat can be given a contemporary look. Some of the vintage styles are back in fashion. So, don't throw out Grandma's old chapeaus or give Aunt Tilly's hats away. You may have a fashion treasure in that old hat box.

When did you realize your love for hats, and what sparked those feelings?

I remember when I was in junior high, my grandmother brought home some vintage hats for my younger sisters to use when playing dress up. I immediately rescued the hats and I decided I would begin wearing them to church. I still wear one of those felt hats today. I liked the way I felt when I wore a hat. Usually, I was the only person in the room with a hat. Usually, I still am. My brother said he knew exactly where to find the family at his graduation. He just looked for the hat. My family still does that - just look for the hat. Some of my hats are not too subtle.

What is your favorite hat era?

I love all hat eras, but I am particularly fond of the hats from the 1920s and '30s. Those styles were simple and feminine but, at the same time, sophisticated and sleek.

Hats don't have the fashion prominence of yesteryear, and yet some women can't live without them. What makes a woman a hat loyalist in this day and age?

Hats make a statement. There is nothing more elegant or mysterious than a woman wearing a hat. The ultimate show of individuality is to wear a hat. Hats can help a woman step out of the box and shine her light. Besides, it's just fun to wear hats.