LIFESTYLE EDITOR’S PICKS
A MUSEUM MAKES HISTORY
The Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture opened last fall on the National Mall in Washington D.C. with much fanfare. Affirming the importance of African-American history in the story of our country, the muse- um continues to draw enormous crowds to view its important collection.
CSD 90
Over 3,500 objects (part of a collection of almost 37,000 artifacts) are on display in the 400,000-square-foot museum. They include a set of slave shackles, a Tuskegee Airmen biplane, a fedora owned by Michael Jackson, Carl Lewis’ Olympic medals, and rock
legend Chuck Berry’s cherry-red Cadillac. Current exhibits focus on African-American history from African origins to the pres- ent as well as contributions to sports and the arts. The process of collecting donations has made history, too. When a slave cabin from Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island was dismantled for trans- port, it turned into an occasion for descendants of slaves and slave holders to come together and bear witness.
large crowds, an advanced pass for a timed admission is re- quired. 844-750-3012,
nmaahc.si.edu.
Since the museum is drawing TOP HATS
In winter, Charleston milliner Natalie Simmons is busy fulfilling orders for her spring and sum- mer custom hats—hats that will make their debuts at weddings, derbies and garden parties in Charleston and around the world. You might think that Simmons loves this time of year for all the business it brings her. That’s true. But there’s another reason: In winter, she gets to wear her favorite style, the cloche. The cloche is a bell-shaped, eye-accenting style that was popular in the 1920s and ’30s. Simmons makes them in her Daniel Island workshop by block- ing them on a wooden mold or shaping them by hand. She calls the process “hand sculpting” and admits it appeals to her creative side.
Simmons fashions her winter
hats from quality materials—felt made from sheep’s wool, rabbit or beaver fur—and dresses them up with grosgrain bands, feathers or vintage brooches.
Her trims are all hand-stitched, never glued. Fit is paramount. “Everyone can wear a hat,” says Simmons. “But if it doesn’t fit right, it won’t look good.” That’s why custom hats have an advantage over the store-bought variety—crown heights and brim widths can be adjusted to flatter an individual’s face.
Simmons, who has been designing hats since she was a teenager, says she most enjoys helping family members design a hat for a loved one. “Seeing the look in my customer’s eyes when she realizes I merely made the hat but allowed her loved ones to completely design it— that is a wonderful feeling!” she says.
Simmons meets with clients by appointment at her work- shop. She can also be found at the Charleston Farmer’s Market in Marion Square every Saturday from April through December. 843-608-HATS, carolinamillinery .com.
Courtesy of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History
Photographs by Holger Obenaus
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