Friends Again

As a little girl I loved the color pink; pink and I were the very best of friends. I wore pretty pink floral dresses, loved pink strawberry ice cream, pink lemonade and pink cotton candy. You could always tell which box of crayons was mine as the pink crayon was always worn down to a stub. When Dad asked me what color I wanted my bedroom painted of course I chose “strawberry pink.”

But my love for pink suddenly changed in Home Economics. I was in junior high and had been given my first assignment on a sewing machine and decided to create a dress in a pretty pink daisy pattern fabric. Unfortunately I found the sewing machine quite intimidating and the project didn’t go well. By the time the outfit was finished I was sick of those pink daisies smiling up at me and I had no desire to wear my creation.

After my experience in sewing class the color pink began to wear on me as it always made me think of that dress. Soon I started wondering why I hadn’t chosen a different color for my bedroom. Did all little girls really have to love pink? By this time pink and I were officially not speaking and to anyone who asked me about the color I would simply say I don’t do pink!

Many years later when I became a milliner and began MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®, I created a line of handcrafted hats which I offered in a rainbow of colors. There were yellow hats, navy hats, red hats and purple hats. But no pink.

Then the request for pink hats began. I wanted to offer the colors my customers wanted, but I first had to like pink again. A friend said I should think of the color like a childhood friend I had lost touch with and just needed to get to know again. She suggested that I start mixing pink in with other colors for some of my hat trims. Reluctantly I took her advice and created a chocolate brown hat and trimmed it with a sash and rose curl in a soft pink. The combined colors appealed to me and I soon found myself making friends once more with pink. My awakening came at a time when women were once again discovering pink in fashion, including hats. Pink hats for weddings again took center stage. They also became popular at the Royal Ascot races and especially for “Ladies’ Day” at the Kentucky Oaks, with a focus for wearing pink to raise awareness for breast cancer.

Anne and the “Clara” Derby Chapeau with a friend

Now, once again, I am in love with pink. But it is different this time. Thanks to my  customers who love pink and my own rediscovered passion for all things pink, I can stretch out as a designer and play with countless shades of pink and let the magic happen. I never imagined that I would be saying this again, but here it is: I don’t like pink. I LOVE pink!

Please enjoy The Pink Hat Gallery slide show from MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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