THE BEGINNING

In 1995, through a peculiar series of events, a vast collection of early 1900s millinery trims came into our possession when we were fortunate enough to obtain the warehouse inventory of Max Herman & Co. and Successors from 37th Street in NYC. Tucked away in a barn in upstate NY for over 50 years were many thousands of feather and flower hat trims, thousands of antique glass eyes from France for decoys, dolls, bears, and millinery, and other millinery supply items. Most of the feather and flower trims were made between WWI and WWII, and many still had their “Paris” and “Germany” labels of origin. You can read more about our story in this New York Times article. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/nyregion/a-columbia-county-nest-that-came-fully-feathered.html?_r=0

OUR PAST MISSION

Our mission with the inventory from 1996 to 2020 was to place these fabulous finds into the hands of those who would use them. Trims sourced from the barn were purchased by a diverse group of top-notch milliners, costumers, craftspeople, fly tiers, artisans, designers, and retailers from all over the world. Included among these were The Tinsel Trading Company, milliners for the Metropolitan Opera House and various Broadway shows; the costumer for the TV show "Boardwalk Empire"; the costumers for the movies "The Hunger Games", "Crimson Peak", "Wonder Woman" , and Disney's live-action "Aladdin"; the world renowned milliner Philip Treacy, the fashion house of Maison Martin Margiela, and countless scores of other fine milliners, craftspeople, and artisans.

HANDMADE FEATHER TRIMS / PINS

After many years of handling vintage feather hat trims, I started using the vintage feathers, taking them apart and reassembling them into boutonnieres and hat trims. The collection of trims/pins here today are either made from these approximately 100 year old vintage feather trims, sustainably sourced natural feathers (i.e. Partridge Plymouth Rocks, Silver-laced Wyandottes, Barred Rocks, etc.), or a combination of the 2.
Put these on your favorite hats, or use as a lapel pin / boutonniere. They can also be pinned on a scarf or coat or used as a decorative package topper.

See more at www.vintagefeathers.com.