Tip of the cap to Boston-area hatmakers

OUT. WANT TO TRY ON A NEW PERSONALITY? I’M FEELING LIKE MEGHAN MARKLE WAS WEARING THIS SOMEWHERE. I FEEL LIKE RUN-DMC OR LL COOL J. THIS IS DEFINITELY A CHARACTER YOU’RE POSSESSED BY THIS HAT? THEN GET YOURSELF TO A HAT STORE. WE WANTED TO KIND OF CREATE A SPACE WHERE PEOPLE COULD COME TRY ON FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT TO EMPHASIZE ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER. ANDREA RAPINOE AND HER HUSBAND JASON FITZPATRICK, OWNED SALMAGUNDI IN BOSTON’S JAMAICA PLAIN NEIGHBORHOOD. THE SMALL STORE IS PACKED WITH COLOR AND STYLE. OH MY GOODNESS. AND WE ALWAYS SAY FINDING A HAT IS LIKE DATING, WHERE YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE OPTIONS AND YOU KNOW WHEN YOU KNOW THERE ARE OPTIONS HERE. THOUSANDS OF THEM. THE COUPLE KEEPS ABOUT 3000 HATS ON DISPLAY AND ANOTHER 9000 IN THE DOWNSTAIRS STOCKROOM. THEY ALSO DESIGN ABOUT 60% OF THEIR CREATIONS THEMSELVES. WE WERE THE FIRST HAT STORE IN NORTH AMERICA TO MIX ALL THE STYLES IN ONE PLACE. ALSO HAVING LIKE WESTERN DRESS, OCCASION, NO ONE HAD EVER THOUGHT THAT MIXING IT ALL UP WOULD WORK, BUT IT DID AND EARNED THEM A LOYAL FOLLOWING. SINCE THEY OPENED BACK IN 2007. I LIKE THIS STORE BECAUSE IT’S LIKE MY CORNER STORE. THE HAT IS YOUR. I WOULD WANT TO SAY YOUR EXCLAMATION POINT TO YOUR SENTENCE OF HOW YOU’RE DRESSED. MEASUREMENT TIME FOR MY EXCLAMATION POINT. I FEEL LIKE I AM MAKING A STATEMENT WITH THIS HAT. YOU ARE. YOU’RE IN CHARGE OF THE BEAT. THIS IS CUTE, BUT I DON’T KNOW IF THIS DOES ANYTHING FOR ME. MHM. I LIKE THE DESIGN. I LIKE THIS ONE. I DON’T KNOW WHY IT TALKS TO ME. IT’S COMFY. YEAH. THAT’S WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO DO. YOU KNOW WHEN YOU KNOW OVER THE PAST CENTURY ZAPPOS HAVE FADED FROM THEIR STATUS AS THE MUST HAVE ACCESSORY BEFORE ANYONE LEFT THE HOUSE. HEAD COVERS WERE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND I THINK THAT IT’S A WONDERFUL TOOL TO UNDERSTAND HISTORY, TO UNDERSTAND CULTURE, TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN EXPRESSION. BUT EVEN THOUGH FORMAL TOPPERS HAVE FALLEN OUT OF STYLE SELF-EXPRESSION THROUGH HEADGEAR CONTINUES ON. WHAT’S THE SYMBOL ON YOUR HAT? SO THIS IS, UH, THE GUITAR BATWING FROM THE SCHOOL OF ROCK. IT’S THE SCHOOL OF ROCK HAT. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? CALIFORNIA. BUT YET YOU HAVE A 12 HAT ON? YES, BECAUSE I AM A DIEHARD, A BRADY FAN. WHICH WAY TO THE RENAISSANCE FAIR IN HER STOUGHTON STUDIO, DENISE WALLACE SPRIGS CREATES HATS THAT HELP THE CHARACTERS WEARING THEM TO TELL THEIR INDIVIDUAL STORIES LIKE NAPOLEON. OH WELL. WALLACE SPRIGS IS A THEATRICAL MILLINER, A TRADITIONAL TERM FOR HAT MAKER. SHE CREATES HATS AND HEADPIECES FOR PLAYS AND MUSICALS AROUND THE WORLD. IN BOSTON, YOU CAN CATCH HER WORK AT THE HUNTINGTON THEATER COMPANY. I HAD TO MAKE A HAT FOR A CHARACTER WHO HAS A BIG FANTASY ENTRANCE BACKSTAGE, MADE HIS COSTUME HIMSELF OUT OF FOUND OBJECTS. SO I GOT TO MAKE AN AFRO HAT OUT OF MULTICOLORED PARTY CUPS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, CECILY STRONG FROM SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE DID A SEARCH FOR INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE AND I GOT TO MAKE HER A BASEBALL CAP THAT HAD A SPINNING UPSIDE DOWN UMBRELLA ON IT THAT SHE USED AS LIKE TO FIND ALIENS. WALLACE BRIGGS HAS BEEN CREATING CAPS AND HATS SINCE SHE WAS YOUNG. MY DAD REALLY LIKED TO WEAR HATS AND SO I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE HATS FOR HIM. HE MOSTLY WORE CAPS AND SO CAPS HAS KIND OF BEEN A SPECIALTY OF MINE. SHE ALSO LOVES TO TEACH THIS CRAFT, BOTH TO BOSTON UNIVERSITY THEATER STUDENTS AND PEOPLE WITH NO PROFESSIONAL MILLINERY ASPIRATIONS LIKE ME. YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT MIGHT INTEREST YOU TO WORK ON. I THINK FEDORA HAS A NICE FLAIR. I LIKE IT OUR MAIN TOOL, BESIDES OUR HANDS IS GOING TO BE SOME STEAM. WE HAVE A LITTLE STEAM AND THEN YOU CAN ROLL THAT WRINKLE DOWN. YOU’RE READY TO UNVEIL IT? YES. WALLACE BRIGGS INVESTS CARE AND PRECISION INTO EACH OF THESE PIECES, RELYING ON RESEARCH TO MAKE SURE SHE GETS THE DETAILS RIGHT. SO I’M REALLY INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF THE PERIOD OF THE PIECES THAT I’M WORKING ON. AND EVEN WHEN HER CREATIONS ONLY GET A SHORT TIME TO SHINE, SHE SAYS IT’S WORTH IT. YOU ESTABLISH A LOT JUST WITH THAT ONE LITTLE FIVE SECONDS OF A HAT, BUT IT’S FIVE SECONDS EVERY NIGHT FOR 42 PERFORMANCES OR SOMETHING, SO YOU HAVE TO GET OVER THAT PART. AND DENISE SAYS THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO HER WORKSHOP ARE OFTEN PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY CRAFTY, LIKE TO DO THINGS WITH THEIR OWN HANDS AND IN THIS CASE, MAKE THEIR OWN HATS. IT’S VERY NICE. AND IF YOU’RE INSPIRED TO ADD A HAT TO YOUR WARDROBE, THE FOLKS AT SALMAGUNDI SAY, THINK ABOUT DOING IT WHEN YOU’RE ON VACATION, WHEN NO ONE KNOWS YOU, YOU CAN TRY OUT SOMETHING NEW VERSUS BACK AT HOME. YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MAY HAVE SOME UNWANTED, UNSOLICITED COMMENTARY. ERIKA IS STI