A Hat for Every Occasion: The Rad Hattress
One of the really great things about the Internet and social media is I find people rather randomly. Bear with me as I relay this one…
So, Roger Riddle- Marketing Director for the Moonhanger Group (Rookery, Dovetail, Armory Ballroom)- posts on his Facebook that Emily Ellyn of The Food Network was at The Rookery for this contest that the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association was hosting to pick out the best burger in Georgia. I actually was not familiar with her but she looks super cool and let’s be honest, it’s pretty bad-ass that someone from The Food Network came to see us. (Yes, “us”, I may not be a Rookery employee but I consider it to be mine own just like any of my other downtown haunts.)
Ok, I’m geting off topic… no surprise I did ask yall to bear with me. Because of this visit by Emily Ellyn, and this fabulous hat she wore, I went to her Facebook page and saw a link to “The Rad Hattress“- the young lady who made this hat for Ms. Ellyn.
Personally, I am a HUGE hat fan. I love them. I swooned over many of the hats worn during the Royal Wedding and I much prefer a handmade creation for any Derby event. ( I own two true Derby hats designed in Kentucky.) Not only that, but we don’t get dressed up the way we used to! Hell I even saw a program on CBS Sunday Morning about a professor at a college who makes her own clothing because she can’t find a shirt with a six button cuff…. ahhhh anyways. Back to hats. It used to be we ladies didn’t step outside without one.
Granted, these hats are a little out of the ordinary, but I had to contact The Rad Hattress myself and ask her some questions:
The Rad Hattress: Well, Molly, that is a long story but the short answer is that I wanted a hat and I didn’t like the options that were available. So I made one for myself and a bunch for a St. Patrick’s Day party. After the party I didn’t know what to do with them and my boyfriend at the time said “Hey, I can sell these to the girls at work!” and it took off from there. I’m single now by the way 
TRH: Gosh, asking which piece is my favorite is like asking which one of your children is your favorite. Each piece is hand made. They are all one of a kind so even when I do large orders each hat is slightly different. I consider every piece to be a wearable work of art almost like a sculpture for your head! All my pieces have a little piece of my soul and are made with love and joy. If I had to pick a favorite I would say any piece that I thought I couldn’t make or stressed out making it. I love being challenged. So any of Emily’s food hats, the Lolita Veil and the Tinker’s Daughter Hat were the scariest to make because I had no idea how to make them going in and they all turned out so awesome!
So, I would like to make my collection more available through shows, conventions, special events, retail; and hospitality locations and get my name out there through people like you and Emily! I am currently working on making Men’s hats and some jewelry to add to my collection. Eventually I hope to add some other accessories as well to match the hats. I have also done hat/centerpiece jobs where people hired me to make coordinating table decor and hairpieces. That was super fun and I would love to continue doing that. 
I was born in St. Petersburg, Florida but I grew up in the Maitland/Winter Park area of Florida which are suburbs outside of Orlando. I live in Winter Park now.
