Three Questions with Cassie MacGregor
The House of MacGregor, our current President.
Where and when did you find your love of millinery?
I first stepped into millinery in 2002. It was after 9/11 and a tense time in New York, and I started taking evening classes to get a break from my office job and also take advantage of living in the city. The millinery course at FIT was one of the many things I tried but the first one that I was actually good at! My first class was with Sandra and when my pattern beret turned out how I saw it in my head, I knew I wanted to pursue it more. I had never sewn before this class and had a lot to learn! I remember New Year's Eve 2003 writing down that I would become a "milliner" that year, and twenty years later I would say that has come true.
What does being part of the Milliners Guild mean to you?
Being part of the guild has really opened a whole new hat world for me. I felt like I was working in more of a bubble in Dallas, and when I reconnected with the guild during Covid it was like I suddenly had co-workers. I love chatting about hats and techniques with people, and seeing what other people like to make and their successes. Bouncing ideas off of other hat makers and sharing a love for this quirky craft has been really enriching. The Bes-Ben contest was the first hat contest I participated in and I liked how it challenged me to think about hats in a different way. I really believe in supporting other hat makers and that having a strong hat base in the US helps us all.
What is your favorite kind of hat to make?
My favorite kind of hat to make is a fascinator, so I am in my sweet spot in the spring with the Kentucky Derby. I love the creative expression in a smaller piece and how it makes people feel when they wear them. You can see the posture get straighter and the confidence grow when someone has on the right piece, and I love being able to bring that out. There is always something new to learn in hats, and that is why I am still doing it after twenty years! Learning a new skill and then making it mine on a fascinator gets me out to the studio everyday.