tgm @ Glessner House Museum Holiday Bazaar this weekend!

Experience the grandeur of a 19th century Christmas! Just a reminder that tonya gross millinery will be at the Glessner House Museum this weekend, located in the historic Prairie district from 12-7pm Saturday and Sunday.

Glessner House is also the starting point for other holiday activities in the neighborhood. There are horse-drawn sleigh rides, Victorian parlor games, candlelight tours of the museum, story-telling and a visit with Santa Claus. Victorian parlor games and HATS!

Glessner House Museum 1800 S. Prairie Avenue (use 18th Street entrance)
12-7pm
Sat & Sun, 13-14 December

There is NO CHARGE to attend the Holiday Bazaar in the carriage house. For other activities there are nominal fees. Hope to see you there!

O'Hare Fashion Show

Thanks to the Chicago Dept of Aviation for sending us photos of our looks at the O'Hare Fashion Show to launch Chicago Fashion Week at the end of Sep. Cindy Schilder and I created an ensemble for the first ever fashion show at O'Hare (our first guerilla marketing event). Isn't Cindy's jacket amazing? I am happy that my hat, "Safety First," really popped!

How cute is our millennial model? Thank you Elite!

CAAP

it's grant season: x fingers my humanities karma is good!

now on sale at etsy!

on sale now at etsy







berry colored bell cloche with leather belting

Glessner House Museum Holiday Events

We've been invited to join the Historic Holiday Events at the Glessner House Museum on 13 & 14 December! It's a lovely event held each year at the historic home designed by HH Richardson in the Prairie District of Chicago. During the Arts & Crafts sale, I will be selling vintage-inspired millinery! Come and join us!

Glessner House Museum Historic Holiday
13- 14 December
12-7pm
Glessner Museum Coach House
1800 S Prairie Ave Chicago IL
shown right, "lucy, 2008"
an avocado fur felt toque with coordinating veiling and vintage bird embellishment (and now on sale at etsy!)

celebrating millinery

tgm will be exhibiting at Hats 2008 at TLD Design Center in Westmont, IL 13 Oct- 30 Nov 2008. Each year, TLD, in collaboration with Dupage Textile Arts Guild, celebrates millinery through fashion shows, an exhibition and workshops. TLD offers fantastic coursework throughout the year. We respect their collegial nature and the quality of their programming. Check it out!

safety first

on a big news night, we did receive press for the guerilla runway show at O'Hare on Friday AM to kick off Chicago Fashion Week! our safety (aka international) orange sculptural piece is the first look. we collaborated with Cindy Schilder on our look. Cindy made a fantastic leather vest with removable quilted collar.

why i love chicago

and mayor daley's fashion council: guerrilla marketing. a team of chicago-based designers is set to visually assault travelers flying through o'hare on 26 september to set the stage for chicago fashion week. cindy schilder designs and tonya gross millinery are collaborating on a look for our elite model. the photo is of tgm's head piece (fresh off the block): safety, i mean, international orange orchid called "beacon." more pics to follow...

ETSY store is now up!

please visit my new ETSY store!
http://www.tonyagrossmillinery.etsy.com
it's the end of summer. time to clear out summer merchandise and introduce you to your new fall look!

slide show of delicious millinery

Thank you Chicago Stitches Program!

for your fabulous feedback!
"ultra innovative headwear by tonya gross millinery"
thank you!

Photos from the runway at Chicago Sidewalk Sale 2008

visit Flickr for the full slide show!

Gracias! CSS and Fashion Show 2008!

Thank you to ALL who stopped by at the Chicago Sidewalk Sale & Fashion Show this week! We had the most unbelievable weather... gorgeous Elite models wearing our hats...great "neighbors Heidi Hess and Erin Gallagher...a and a well-orchestrated event hosted by the Department of Cultural Affairs. Kudos to Melissa Gamble, Taylor Wilson and the Mayor's Fashion Council! We were overwhelmed by the number of hat lovers out there! Thank you for the encouragement!

CSS Announcement featuring one of tgm's hats "Abunai Yo!" (the name in the ad is a misprint) is on the CSS site and in the Chicago Reader this week! Pictures from the show posted soon!

PS extra special thanks to Lama, A-, D-, A-, J-, G-, B-, C- and lil ones, K-, the YWCA crew and YOU!

REMINDER: Chicago Sidewalk Sale & Fashion Show 22- 23 July!

Just a reminder that the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs Fashion Show & Sidewalk Sale is coming soon!
9am- 3pm
Noon fashion show both days
Tuesday, 22 July and Wednesday 23 July 2008
Daley Plaza

Please come out to see us under the Picasso again this year!

Inspired!

Stunning friend H in a hat inspired by a jack-in-the-pulpit for the Fleurotica show at Garfield Park Conservatory. H looks amazing!

Mad Hatters Ball Chicago 2008

Thanks, Laura!

Laura from GenArt Chicago looked FABULOUS in my "Zee Cabaret" straw boater (left) at the Lookingglass Theater's Mad Hatter fund raising event last month!

Raymond Hudd Millinery Award!

I am THRILLED to announce that I won a Raymond Hudd Millinery Award from the Fashion Department at the School of the Art Institute for my collection this spring semester!

Raymond Hudd's millinery career spanned over 50 years and is one of the last of his generation of great milliners. Whimsical, humorous and beautifully crafted hats are his signature, shown left. This is truly an honor...and an inspiration. YAY, pinch me!

tgm Special Values brought to you by the Chicago Office of Tourism

We are offering a 15% discount on custom orders when you mention this ad:
http://www.chicagoofficeoftourism.org/specialValues/shopping/index.html

UPDATED! City of Chicago Sidewalk Sale & Fashion Show 22-23 Jul 2008!

tonya gross millinery will have a booth at the city of Chicago's 2nd Annual Sidewalk Sale and Fashion Show at Daley Plaza again this year! Very exciting!

22-23 July 2008 (tuesday and wednesday)
9am- 3pm
fashion show at NOON both days
daley plaza (uh, look at our venue!)

details to follow...

SAIC Student Sale a Success!

SOLD! Thank you ALL for coming out to see us at the SAIC Spring Sale! The turnout and sales were incredibly encouraging for this new little business. Onwards and upwards!

SAIC Spring Art Sale

HI! I wanted to remind everyone that the School of the Art Institute 8th Annual Spring Art Sale will be held this coming week:

Friday, 18 April 11am- 7pm
Saturday, 19 April 10am- 6pm
MacLean Ballroom
112 S Michigan Ave

The Spring Art Sale is comprised of work created by students at SAIC. Work includes: photographs, ceramics, prints, sculptures, gifts, jewelry, paintings, drawings and HATS by tonya gross! Come and see me at Booth #14 on the main selling floor. My booth will be at the front, near the windows. There will be a cash bar in case you would like to have a cocktail while shopping. Note that items are priced to SELL. This is a great opportunity to support up and coming artists and find some great deals. Hope to see you there!

Happy spring!
tonya

I Won the Lottery!

Sort of... The School of the Art Institute of Chicago hosts the 8th Annual Spring Art Sale of student work at the MacLean Center Ballroom, 112 South Michigan Avenue, on Friday, 18 April and Saturday, 19 April. Yours truly's number was selected. HUGE opportunity to present a collection to the Chicago community! Hope to see you there! Stay tuned!

chicago aka the skunk place

the FLEUROTICA event - it sounds like something naughty on the runway, doesn't it?

i am creating a version of the wild leek, as it is indigenous to our area and has an interesting connection to chicago. useless knowledge of the day: part of the origin of the name of our lovely city- the Menomini name for the wild leek, "pikwute sikakushia" or "skikako"- came to be chicago or the "skunk place." the wild leek was abundant in our pre-urban swampland. those of us who live here know that during the spring months, the skunk place will own up to its name! be grateful the wild leek hat i am creating will utilize silk for petals. no stinkies.

Fleurotica Fashion Show

as a student at SAIC, i will be creating for the runway for the garfield park conservatory's 1st annual FLEUROTICA show featuring fashion and head wear utilizing or inspired by live fleura!

FRIDAY, 28 March 2008

"The botanical fashion show of the century treats guests to a variety of artistic floral interpretations in wraps and clothing, hats, parasols, corsages and more, all made from flowers, plants and leaves. The runway soiree is a collaborative event between the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance and Chicago-area florists, and students from the Millinery Department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Stunning floral arrays in Horticulture Hall, beautiful lighting, music, refreshments and professional photographers make it an affair to remember."

will post photos of the work in progress. i am concentrating on flowers/plants indigenous to chicago, the american waterlily and the wild leek.

what is millinery?

millinery is designing, manufacturing and/or selling hats and hat embellishments.

couture millinery is the art of designing, handblocking (over a sculpted object/shape) and handfinishing headwear using the finest materials.

a milliner, therefore, is the artist creating what i think of as wearable soft sculpture.

welcome!

welcome hat lovers! my intention here is to expand my network, provide commentary on the head wear industry and to provide you with access to couture and street head wear trends and product. as a second-degree student in fiber and fashion at the school of the art institute of chicago, i will no doubt insert commentary and photos on my experiences as a non-traditional art student as well. i can't help it.

(affordable) couture for the masses!