Hats off to Jacqueline of Aherla for her brilliant designs

Aherla-based hat designer and musician, Jacqueline Anders O’Donovan, will be exhibiting her brightly coloured millinery at First Fruits Arts Centre in Watergrasshill, along with the art work of three other women, on August 3.

When she was asked by artist Virginia Giglio to take part in the exhibition, she was loath to describe her hat designs as art. But Virginia convinced Jacqueline that her original designs are artistic. What started as a hobby for this grandmother could evolve into a small business.

Although Jacqueline doesn’t wear hats that much, apart from on holidays and on special occasions, she has always had a love of them. When she was growing up and living in Birmingham for a while, Jacqueline recalls her mother sending big hats to her grandmother in Cork who couldn’t buy large ones here. As Jacqueline recalls, there was a time when a woman didn’t feel fully dressed unless she was wearing a hat, to top off a suit.

As a schoolgirl, Jacqueline used to nip into the Munster Arcade and Cash’s department store to try on hats, in admiration of the glamour they lent to outfits.

The former North Presentation pupil, who also studied at the then Cork School of Commerce, was interested in studying fashion design but she didn’t pursue it.

Jacqueline works as a sales assistant in ladies fashion at Blarney Woollen Mills. Close to retirement, she is keen to develop hobbies.

In January, she started a millinery course at Colaiste Stiofáin Naofa where she perfected the art of making fascinators. At the end of the course, Jacqueline and her fellow millinery students exhibited their hats. She uses sinamay fabric for her hats - a stiff straw-like material woven from natural fibres.

“It’s an amazing material,” says Jacqueline.

She did some further online study with a milliner and hopes to continue classes, perhaps using felt as well as crinoline.

“Crinoline is fairly cheap to buy. You manipulate it to make hats.”

Jacqueline goes online to get ideas for her headwear, but she doesn’t copy other people’s designs. They’re more an inspiration, helping her to design hats in her own style which she develops as she goes along. “I like bright colours, even though I’m always wearing black for work,” she says.

‘Flamboyant’ is the word that Jacqueline uses to describe her designs.

“They’re like something from a show. I do simple designs as well as the more fussy ones. I mainly make fascinators for weddings and for going to the races.”

Since starting to make headwear, Jacqueline has been taking more notice of what women wear.

“You’d see women in hats abroad more than here, such as in Paris. Irish women wear hats and fascinators for days out such as weddings.”

And they are a staple at race meetings, with prizes given to best dressed ladies in elaborate headgear worn with panache.

Jacqueline says her fascinators cost €35-€50.

“It’s just a hobby at the moment, but more and more people are asking me for fascinators and hats.”

She hopes to develop her modest enterprise into something bigger once she retires.

Jacqueline’s son is getting married in Markree Castle Hotel in Sligo this summer and, needless to say, she is designing her own hat for the occasion.

Jacqueline takes her hobbies seriously. She plays the saxophone in the Barrack Street Band, having started learning it about eight years ago.

“I went to a gig years ago at the Savoy where a girl was playing the saxophone. I thought it would be lovely to play that instrument. It just so happened that, at Christmas, there was a saxophone for sale at Lidl. I bought it but I couldn’t find anyone to teach me how to play it. I became friendly with a singer. She invited me to a gig one night where there was a guy playing the saxophone.”

The singer put Jacqueline in touch with musician Martin Vallely, who gave her lessons. He also suggested that she join the Cork Academy of Music.

“I was in the academy for seven years, doing my exams,” says Jacqueline.

Asked if she is good at playing the saxophone, Jacqueline, prone to modesty, says: “I wouldn’t say I’m great. I can read music and follow it and play.”

But she wouldn’t be in the Barrack Street band (affectionately known as De Barracka) unless she plays to a high standard.

Jacqueline is also a member of the Cork Light Orchestra. She rehearses with them on Monday nights and with the Barrack Street Band on Friday nights.

“I’ve always had a love of music and always had a musical instrument,” she says. “I had an accordion when I was eight. I moved onto the guitar and I love playing the piano. My husband keeps buying me instruments.”

Clearly, music is another string to Jacqueline’s bow. Retirement will never be boring for this accomplished hat designer and saxophonist.

The exhibition opens at First Fruits Arts Centre in Watergrasshill on August 3. Also exhibiting alongside Jacqueline will be Virginia Giglio, who will be showing her drawings and collages; Sabina Lucas, who’ll be exhibiting her mixed media work, and Jingjing Liu will have her oil paintings on show.

The exhibition, The Whole Shebang, is on August 3 from 10am-5pm.