Lola Hats Studio Visit

While in New York for Fashion Week, I had the pleasure of meeting milliner Lola Ehrlich of Lola Hats at her Brooklyn atelier. Nestled in the heart of Bushwick’s growing street art scene, Lola’s spacious workshop is bustling with a small group of artisans aiming to preserve the art of the handmade hat. I was in awe after witnessing the age-old process of molding a classic felt fedora around one of her many vintage wooden hat molds, the felting techniques used on her chic leopard caps, and the application of vibrant stitching to her uniquely shaped straw hats. Not only does the attention to detail make Lola’s hats so special, they also exude her wonderful sense of humor and incredible zest for life. Inspired and smitten, I took home two amazing hats: an adorable pom pom cap and an irresistible wide-brimmed, cherry red fedora. Thank you, Lola, for sharing your world with us!

(Lola Hats available here; all images by HonestlyWTF)

Leave a Comment

45 Comments

  1. Mira wrote:

    I love hats. It´s interesting to see how they make them. Thanks for sharing <3

    xx

    glamDevils

    2.15.13
    Reply
  2. Denisa wrote:

    That hat is great. Have a nice friday and weekend.

    http://www.fashiondenis.com/

    2.15.13
    Reply
  3. Love the caps with the leopard patch!! Perfection!!
    http://www.bonnieclydemarni.com/

    2.15.13
    Reply
  4. Xeana wrote:

    How interesting! I’ve always been inspired by photography of tailoring shop!

    xoxo,Xeana
    Please, check out my blog! Giveaway necklace!!!

    2.15.13
    Reply
  5. Amazing pictures!!! this studio is so beautiful, I LOVE the style of these hats!!!

    http://www.thestelstyle.com

    2.15.13
    Reply
  6. EmerJa wrote:

    I love hats and this “virtual” visit to the studio has been really interesting. I have never seen before how hats were done.

    http://www.emerjadesign.com

    2.15.13
    Reply
  7. Isa wrote:

    I love the studio visits! The photos are always so good!

    Also, are they still using those old Singers? Because that’s… amazing.

    http://lasaloperie.blogspot.com

    2.15.13
    Reply
  8. dorylyn wrote:

    This I loved!!

    2.15.13
    Reply
  9. I love hats!! Especially for weddings guest!

    Miami in http://cravingforbarneys.com

    2.15.13
    Reply
  10. Loulou wrote:

    How wonderful! I love hats and wear one pretty much every day, year ’round. It’s so neat to see these great pictures of the goings on inside a hat making studio.

    2.15.13
    Reply
  11. Kim Maes wrote:
    2.15.13
    Reply
  12. Magdalena wrote:

    I have always been obsessed with hats and wear them all the time. They transform you. I think the main reason women don’t wear hats is because they haven’t found the right hat to match their persona. And just think, they cover your roots and transform your mood. Hats off to hats.

    2.15.13
    Reply
  13. Jaeger wrote:

    awesome pics, so good to see the vintage machines being put to use!

    http://youngandimpressionablee.blogspot.com.au/

    xx

    2.15.13
    Reply
  14. Anita wrote:

    I love these behind the scenes studio visits! Great photos and hats! Thanks for sharing this!

    2.15.13
    Reply
  15. K wrote:

    What/where exactly is “Bushwick’s growing street art scene”?

    2.15.13
    Reply
    • Erica wrote:

      @K, there is a great amount of street art right off the Jefferson stop in Bushwick – you can’t miss it! You can read more about it here or google “street art Bushwick”

      2.15.13
  16. brooke wrote:

    it’s fascinating to see a millinery workshop! and that baseball cap with the enormous pom pom on top is seriously one of the most adorable hats i’ve seen in a long time!

    http://www.insparisian.com

    2.15.13
    Reply
  17. Fajr wrote:

    These hats are incredible and look like they are beautifully made

    2.15.13
    Reply
  18. Therese wrote:

    Your pictures are fabulous! What a wonderful to be around years of creativity! Thanks for sharing =)

    2.15.13
    Reply
  19. Beautiful pictures!! Love to get to see how they make the hats

    xoxo

    LEATHER & ICE CREAM

    2.15.13
    Reply
  20. Namrata wrote:

    Quite funky these hats!

    N
    http://seasoncheck.blogspot.in

    2.15.13
    Reply
  21. Lejla wrote:

    These are beautiful. I love the red one..

    http://lejlatravels.blogspot.com/

    2.15.13
    Reply
  22. Amy wrote:

    Beautiful & inspiring as always!

    2.15.13
    Reply
  23. i.s. wrote:

    love this! such a fan of hat shops and makers x
    http://www.vicariousLA.com

    2.15.13
    Reply
  24. net wrote:

    YUMMIE!

    2.15.13
    Reply
  25. whatkrissydidnext wrote:
    2.15.13
    Reply
  26. Britte wrote:

    Merci pour la qualité de ce reportage. Félicitations à Lola , extraordinaire, talentueuse, originale grande Modiste . Vite in Europe ! Belgique …! Vi

    2.15.13
    Reply
  27. Sanne wrote:

    Wow, that looks amazing!

    2.15.13
    Reply
  28. ellen wrote:

    love this! Thank you for the inspiration!!

    http://slidingdrawersblog.blogspot.com/

    2.15.13
    Reply
  29. audreyilia wrote:
    2.15.13
    Reply
  30. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez we fu**ing lowve love love ur blog! its a lot of fun! please check ours out if you get a chance on http://www.lanzaroteparadiserollers.co.uk Xxxx

    2.15.13
    Reply
  31. Aymara wrote:

    I L-L-L-LOVE this post!

    2.16.13
    Reply
  32. Isabelle wrote:

    Beautiful hats, beautiful pictures comme d’habitude…

    2.16.13
    Reply
  33. Paula wrote:

    I have a major hat fetish at the moment – this looks like an amazing work space! I’ll take one in leopard print 😉

    <3 Paula Shoe Fiend
    http://shoe-fiend.blogspot.co.uk/

    2.16.13
    Reply
  34. january wrote:

    i love studio visits! it feels so intimate to see behind the scenes of how these artisans go about making and refining these creations!!

    january, x
    jessicajanuary.com

    2.16.13
    Reply
  35. Elizabeth wrote:

    Beautiful! I wouldn’t mind one in the last picture for my upcoming spring break trip.

    Elizabeth of The Corner Apartment

    2.17.13
    Reply
  36. this looks exciting! I love the red hat!

    http://pilisstyle.blogspot.com/

    2.17.13
    Reply
  37. sue wrote:

    Love the hats, hoping that some of these are not the typical one size fits all (aka too small)

    2.22.13
    Reply
  38. Paige wrote:

    Absolutely love this post, great to get an insight!
    http://paige-eager.tumblr.com/

    2.24.13
    Reply
  39. Fantastic! This post is really creative and amazing.I love this post about hats., what a great idea! Thanks for sharing your creativity! Loving them all.

    1.12.15
    Reply