it's it's so funny because you know in my hands it looked like a very sort of humble hat you know it didn't look like much and yet when I saw on on her you know it just really came to life and uh you know looked beautiful on her of course she's beautiful anyway but but um it just really speaks to her you know grace and beauty and presence you know that uh it was such a such an powerful statement you know a powerful visual statement for the country to see our first lady Melania Trump uh
wore a boater style hat which matched her Ensemble which was dark navy blue wool and silk uh coat and the hat was made of the same fabric and had a grow grain band I uh worked with Herve Pierre who's Mrs Trump's uh stylist and designer of some of her gowns and so forth and um so he corresponded with me and basically gave me information as it evolved uh you know what she envisioned and all that she had a she had purchased a hat a couple of summers ago from my website and it's still featured on
my website ER jab.com which is a a Gondolier style hat you know sort of a a structured boater shape and I know she didn't end up using that hat for an event because there was a cancellation or something but I know she loved that hat that's what I was told and then I sent another style from my archive uh for her to try on that I thought would be very becoming and she liked that and then those two Styles basically became the springboard to develop what she ended up wearing for the inauguration a couple of
months but um I didn't really receive any fabric until uh right before Christmas and you know then basically I Knew by then what would I what I would have to do but there wasn't really time uh to order a wood block you know this type of hat is made on a wooden block that's the pattern that's the form and so I had to alter uh crown and brim wood blocks myself I that was the first step to create the block to the specifications needed and then from the Block I created the paper pattern for the
fabric panels and um I had to block the interlining and from there you know put it all together well it got caught in that terrible snowstorm a couple of weeks ago and so there were delays and yes it it did arrive down damaged and um I was you know texted a photograph right away and I could see that I had to do another one so I start on the next one right away and then we went out to the helicopter though just prior of this and said goodbye and it's a custom and the wind is
blowing like crazy and with the hat that she's wearing she almost blew away we almost lost off it's funny no I didn't I didn't see that and um I know it was secured very nicely to her head because I sort of engineered a little invisible elastic in the back and there were some Loops towards the front where more pins could be applied and it's not it wasn't such a huge GM that would fly off her head you know I think he was just being [Applause] [Music] funny I know there'll be plenty of kissing later so
you know whenever women you know wore hats in the old days that was always you know an but a lot of them wore hats with big brims so no one would try you know that was their their boundary I I feel very very gratified I'm you know just very proud very honored uh that she's wearing it I know there were a lot of people watching earlier today and uh so I know it's an important moment it's definitely a huge highlight of my career
