How many times have i been asked to make a custom made top hat to fit a skiing helmet? so far, only once.
“This is a long shot, but do you have a 79cm size black top hat with 13 cm height?”
This text stopped me in my tracks….a 79cm sized top hat?? 79cm is a very large size, what could he possibly need it for I wondered? I had to find out. The dimensions didn’t sound to scale, so i questioned whether he had an idea of how it would look made to these measurements. – I learnt a long time ago never to assume people know what they are talking about. Sometimes after I’ve made what they’ve described they say “Oh, I didn’t think it would look like that” so my job is not only to take instruction, but also to make sure my clients understand what their instructions are.
He then sent me an image of a cardboard model he had made. I was very impressed and realised, he was very serious about wanting this hat. He’d done a fair bit of ground work and because of that I was able to create what he wanted within his time frame, confidant that he knew what he was asking for.
cardboard top hat
“If you can come in tonight with the helmet and your cardboard mock up, I can have your top hat finished by Friday.”
There was one problem, he didn’t have the helmet. Oh well, “i’f you’re confident this mock up is the right shape, then I don’t need the helmet, but we will have to have a chat about how to best secure it to you helmet”
He came in, we chatted about various ways to attach it and keep it secure. He picked out material samples from my stock, and chose a foam that wouldn’t absorb water (which would have made it heavy), and two days later, the hat was ready to pick up.
Top hat for a skiing helmet
I’m always nervous handing over a finished creation, and was so happy to witness his gratitude. After making the cardboard mock up, he had some idea of the training that must go behind the ability to make up a finished product, and he was really appreciative, which made me very happy. It’s nice to be appreciated.
I can’t wait to see how it works with the rest of his outfit.
If you need a personalised costume made up to your specific dimensions, give us a call! It seems to be my specialty.