Author: Maria Curcic

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TImeless headwear – Fall 2023 collection of hats

I have been making hats for almost 30 years and next year marks 30 years! I opened my shop in Inglewood and then moved to 17 Ave. SW. This upcoming pop-up show will be a small collection on my Fall/Winter. For those of you who go to DJD events, I have been donating hats to them for well over 15 years so some of you probably know my name! I am a huge supporter of the arts! So join me for this one day show in a cute little coffee shop…called Coffee Cats. Hope to see you!

TImeless headwear – Fall 2023 collection of hats – Maria Curcic Millinery. Style it up this Fall season with a unique hat, cap or fascinator. Maria Curcic, the designer behind the label has been Designing hats and headpieces since 1985. This is a small showcase of these unique pieces for one day only.

Thanks to all that attended!

Saturday Sept. 9/23 – 12:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Coffee Cats Calgary – 2765 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6K8

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Art by Design- ART SEA ART GALLERY SIDNEY BC MAY 19-25, 2023

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/maria-curcic-art-by-design-tickets-586190019127?aff=ABD

As a visual and audio artist, my work is meant to entertain the viewer’s senses. Not only do I enjoy experimenting with colour and texture, I aspire to infuse a sense of wonder and curiosity in my work, while respecting principles of colour and spatial composition. My headpieces and accessories are three-dimensional extensions into the realm of design, while my love for music captures the fourth dimension of time.

ARTIST
A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design (1988), my mediums include oil and acrylics on canvas, with a focus on abstracts and cityscapes. Known for the colour and vibrancy of my work, I am continually exploring new directions to express my visions. My works are included in the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and in corporate and private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. You can see more pieces and past works at www.curcifineart.com .

MILLINER
Paris born, with a strong European appreciation for fashion, art and style, Maria began creating hats for high end boutiques in Canada and the U.S. in the early 1990’s. The popularity of her designs led to the opening of her own store, Le Chapeau Rouge, in Calgary in 1994. She shifted her attention to wholesale in the late 1990’s, providing hats to over 15 stores across Canada and the U.S. Today, Maria focuses her attention on custom creations, from everyday wear to hats for any occasion. You can find her creations online at www.mariacurcic.com

DJ
In music, one discovers beats and rhythms that blend and intertwine to create their own work of art. I produce a weekly radio program (Mary’s Web – www.radioradio.ca ) and operate this long-running experimental radio station. My alter-ego, DJ Mary Flavors is fully equipped for sound and available for private functions and special events.

The latest story!

Milliner magic takes over Sidney gallery

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Fascinator classes – NOW Booking into 2023!

Fascinator classes

$160.00 USD per student for year 2023. This Includes some very basic materials to get you started for this class, you will be provided with a list of materials you must purchase for your online class. Price reflects materials and class time. Classes are filling up so book yours today!

Explore basic millinery techniques that will enable you to create a fascinator.  If you can sew on a button, you can make a fascinator and headpiece.  Understand the fundamentals of composition and balance as related to headpieces.  Discover millinery materials and techniques to manipulate fabrics and trims.  Create your own trims from feathers, fabrics and specialty millinery materials.  Work with hat elastics for this specific class.

The BASIC Materials will be mailed out to you few weeks prior to the class with a list of materials you must purchase.  Maria sources her supplies from the UK and USA, primarily, and has a lovely selection to choose from.  Please feel free to use any extra trims you want to adorn your work with.  This may include vintage buttons, lace, rhinestone brooches and so on.  If you wish to match up an outfit, please bring a swatch of it.

At the end of this class you will have a beautiful creation! THIS IS A BEGINNER class.

What you need for this class:

  • scissors (smaller with about a 2-3 inch blades as you will be working with smaller trimmings)
  • Fascinator class materials ( once you have paid for the class )
  • Needle and thread to match ( as close as you can)
  • Extra trims and materials you may want to add
  • styrofoam head ( Pls contact me on what you need to get)

This is a wonderful workshop for anyone wanting to get ready for wedding season or any special occasion, or just an excuse to make a special occasion fun accessory. You will learn some fun things in this class!

NOW BOOKING CLASSES!  Class runs One on one or group of 3 max. on scheduled dates. Once you have paid for your class we will contact you with available dates and a LINK to get online or in person ( if you are in the Victoria BC area).

1-3 students MAX,  Includes the basic MATERIALS FOR THE CLASS ( a base, elastic, some fabric or your can use your own. Each student will get a different color base with some fabric and some scrap trims)  COST IS  $160.00 USD  (includes taxes and shipping materials to students outside of the Victoria BC area). If you need to re-schedule please contact me as there will be no refunds, but I do allow you to re-schedule.
Class runs UP TO 3 hours.
If you are in The USA  and want to take my class we can use various online ways to do so. Please contact me first. Book with a friend if you live here!

Thanks!

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A BIG Thank you!

A BIG thank you to all who attended the  YW Calgary event at the Deane House on June 22nd ( see my previous post!)as well as my trunk show at Durand Bridal! YOu can now purchase my work there. A reminder :  Bridal Expo – Sunday, October 23rd, 2022 – Calgary TELUS Convention Centre

https://bridalexpo.ca

Durand will be showcasing some pieces in their collection. Check it out! I will be back soon again with another trunk show in 2023, if you want to be on the list for Calgary or other cities please contact me. Thanks! Maria

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Get Fascinated!

With so much going on these days, how do you keep up? Easy, you first go support the YW Calgary at the Deane House on June 22nd ( see my previous post!), THEN you come to my trunk show on June 25th at Durand Bridal!

Get Tickets here ( its free, but if you bring in your ticket you get a gift with your purchase )

A one day trunk show featuring fascinators and headpieces by Maria Curcic Millinery. Maria has been designing hats, headpieces and small accessories since 1985. Maria custom makes as well, for more info visit www.mariacurcic.com

hat by @hatgoddess, neckalce set by @mirrormirrorbijoux, dress by @cherry_velvety, model: @krissycolours

 

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Rosé and Croquet 2022 at the Deane House Calgary in support of the YW

Hello friends, now that covid restrictions have been lifted in many places and we can be outside more, I have decided to once again help sponsor the Rosé and Croquet event at the Deane House in Calgary. Here are some details about the event, click the link:

https://www.deanehouse.com/roseandcroquet-index

If you want to style it up and look fabulous, why not do so with a unique headpiece/fascinator? I will be donating  25% of all online sales for this event from my webpage to https://www.ywcalgary.ca/

All my hats are handmade by me and only by me, sadly I have no minions to help me do all the hand sewing that I do! If you are interested in something unique, feel free to contact me. Help make this event amazing by showing your support and get yourself some tickets here!

THE FINE PRINT

All hats must be purchased by June 9th to allow shipping time.

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Back in the day

Back in the day: When I started my store in 1994, it was the most exciting thing ever. I began  with a concept and with a background in Interior Design, I wanted to make something special. I wanted a Cute little boutique with flare! So in 1994 I opened my shop in Inglewood in Calgary. My little hat store of its kind in years. I heard that there was once a hat shop ( women’s) back in the day, of course before my time! In those years to follow, I then moved to 17 AVE S.W., to which I began wholesaling my hats and fascinators to many boutiques across Canada and the US. This led to me closing my shop and moving forward with the production end of things.  After having a retail shop for 4 years, it was time to work from home and focus on the business from that point on. Over the years, I did pop-up shows in various venues across Calgary and in other cities. All the hats and headpieces were all produced by me and only me, no mass production involved. I really wanted to offer affordable and beautiful works of art to women who wanted something not made overseas. During this time I donated to many charities in Calgary and produced my own events with live music and silent auctions. To this day I still donate to charities by donating my hats and art to help those in need. I wanted to share this fun video we did with Shaw tv back in 2006, titled” hats off by Lara Hurrell Maria Curcic 2006 SHAW CALGARY”

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Bridgerton style all the way!

Who doesn’t love period shows? I know I do, I love the fabrics and the trims, I love the styles and the embellishments. Everything is like eating fine chocolate or drinking good champagne! The costuming on Bridgerton is divine! I love the top hats and all the headpieces in this show. I am just a fan of all period shows. The Great is also another one full of inspiring headpieces, the feathers, the lace and the beading. I wish I was part of this whole costuming series, but soon! If you are looking for something  Bridgerton styled then have a look at some of these hats and fascinators. You can style these up with all sorts of flouncy dresses and more! So have fun coming up with your own personal style and get inspired by some of these cool shows!

pink racing hat
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A new look to my website and more!

  • 2021 was definitely a very unusual time for MCM, with the whole world shutting down, it was hard to navigate the direction of the business. With events cancelled and seeing many small businesses close, one could only think of gloom and doom. A tough year for many small businesses like myself. BUT, with all this in mind , I never gave up! SO here I am sharing some of my big wins in 2021. The year gave me the opportunity to start designing my own fabrics and many of you do not know, but I am an artist too, www.curcicfineart.com, I started to incorporate my artistic skills into materials for the hats.
    2021 also saw :
  • A New Website Launch
    I was able to offer a much-improved shopping experience for my customers by launching a new website.
    Now you can search by the drop down menu in the Shop Collection section where I have listed all the items I sell.
  • Top Launches
    The Small accessories section bloomed. This includes jewelry like earrings and brooches as well as some scarves that are from my art and unique one of a kind purses.
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Bring on the Derby ladies: Some style tips for styling it up at the races

Derby anyone? What makes this day so fabulous other then watching the races you ask? Well, dressing part. I wanted to show off some headpieces that I make specifically for such events. These can be worn for the races as well as for weddings. Now that some restrictions are easing up here in BC ,its time to get back into the swing of life. Below are a few images to some of my favorite pieces. These are great for the Kentucky Derby, Queen’s plate or a wedding. This one is so stylish, don’t you think?  I love the use of the vintage flowers on it, the feathers and the  overall feel of this piece. If you want to feel glamorous this is it. Pair this up with a soft pastel layered tulle dress or something chic and elegant. Most of my headpieces are whimsical yet classic. If you want something made its best to contact me. I love this fascinator with this cute bow dress! https://www.thebay.com/product/rotate-birger-christensen-natalie-oversized-bow-mini-dress-0600092396999.html?dwvar_0600092396999_color=VIOLET

 

Have a look at this little number:

Blue boater style with beading,feathers and silk flowers

Its fully beaded in blue and gold beads on netting. Such a stylish boater and ready to wear. I love this piece for its color and style because it would pair this up so well with red!  It would suit a dress very similar to this style:

https://www.thebay.com/product/lmomo-angled-ruche-waist-metallic-dress-03ed2bcee8be43a6b2e11c95ad9b70e6.html?dwvar_03ed2bcee8be43a6b2e11c95ad9b70e6_color=METALLIC%20RED

These are only a few examples, so go ahead and try out some dresses where you like to shop and then pick a hat. I prefer to get a hat or fascinator first and then search for the dress. I find it much easier than to just get the dress and then try to match the hat. Its up to you how you do it! Just have fun doing it!