Laurie’s millinery journey began after a 25 year public defender law career and several years of bespoke tailoring for private clients. After taking an early retirement in 2013 following the death of her husband, Laurie refashioned her life to pursue her passion for sewing and clothing design. She studied pattern making and apparel design at Apparel Arts, Oakland, California and tailoring with Thomas Von Nordheim, London, UK. On a whim, she attended a weekend fedora workshop and instantly knew a millinery small business would be her next hat worn.

Laurie studied millinery at the London College of Fashion with Chloe Scrivener and learned the basics of straw braid hat making with Suzanne Warfield, New York, New York. She bought her first set of hat blocks and a straw braid machine, honed her skills from her home studio, and began her millinery business creating hats for private clients and juried craft shows in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In February 2020, she opened her brick and mortar atelier and, notwithstanding the pandemic shutdown 6 weeks later, has a thriving handmade hat business. For Laurie, the shutdown was an opportunity to expand her repertoire with online classes taught by milliners from all over the world and a welcome chance to craft many new hats made in the shop.