Berkshire


<p>If your idea of a hat is the floppy one you throw on for a bad hair day, prepare to be schooled. <a href="https://www.lizfelixhats.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Liz Felix</a> is the Berkshire milliner bringing serious glamour to the county &#8211; with creations made for Royal weddings, a PM (yes, really), and fashionistas far and wide. She opened her brand-new Caversham store in July this year, taking over the former spot of perfumer Humos on Church Road. </p>



<p>Now, you&#8217;ll find Liz waving her magic millinery wand to create bespoke, made-to-order designs for all manner of occasions, while also offering a curated selection of ready-to-wear hats for varying tastes and budgets. Amid her feathers and sculptural brims, we caught up with Liz to talk trends, starry commissions and her fave local foodie spots.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-Felix_Brand-shoot_30.1.24_011.jpg" alt="liz felix hats hat makers berkshire" class="wp-image-82827" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-Felix_Brand-shoot_30.1.24_011.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-Felix_Brand-shoot_30.1.24_011-533x800.jpg 533w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-Felix_Brand-shoot_30.1.24_011-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-Felix_Brand-shoot_30.1.24_011-267x400.jpg 267w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-Felix_Brand-shoot_30.1.24_011-768x1152.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-hats-when-did-you-start-making-them">So, hats, when did you start making them?</h3>



<p>Well, to give some background, my grandfather and great grandfather on my mother&#8217;s side were both Savile Row Tailors. I just worked regular jobs, but when my daughter was born in 1992, I ended up making her a pinafore dress and a hat after copying a pattern from a craft fair. I kept making them and eventually people kept stopping me to ask where I got it from, so I started making them for all sorts of people, and very quickly word spread. </p>



<p>A few years later when I was 30, I went off to the London College of Fashion to train as a milliner. I&#8217;ve been on lots of courses since then as I think it&#8217;s really important to continue to learn and expand my knowledge. So, yeah, I was a bit late going into it and probably didn&#8217;t go down the traditional route, but that&#8217;s quite typical of me. I never have!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spill-the-goss-any-big-names-that-have-worn-your-creations">Spill the goss! Any big names that have worn your creations?</h3>



<p>I like to keep it quite private who I make for, but it&#8217;s well-documented I&#8217;ve made for Theresa May. She&#8217;s probably my highest profile client. She was Prime Minister at the time she publicly wore my creations and came to me for many years. She has less need for them these days, but it was a real honour to see my hats on television at quite significant events, including the Queen&#8217;s funeral and the King&#8217;s coronation. </p>



<p>I made her two hats for the coronation as she didn&#8217;t get her outfit until the evening before. It was a surprise for me to see what one she&#8217;d wear, and it was so exciting seeing it on the TV. I mean, I&#8217;ve seen my hats in the same photos as the Queen and other big events, but it&#8217;s just weird. I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ll ever get used to seeing that.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1250" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-1.jpg" alt="hat shops caversham berkshire millinery" class="wp-image-82830" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-1-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-1-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-1-320x400.jpg 320w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-1-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proudest-moment-in-your-career">Proudest moment in your career?</h3>



<p>I think it has to be having a hat at the King&#8217;s coronation which was such a significant event, a world event. It almost felt like I was there, you know? A piece of me was in hat form! I have done hats for a royal wedding, but even that&#8217;s not the same level of comparison. It was so historic. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-some-of-the-hat-trends-you-re-seeing-at-the-moment">What are some of the hat trends you&#8217;re seeing at the moment?</h3>



<p>The majority of people tend to go for what I call a disc cap (given different names by different people), which is a hat that tends to be on a hairband with a crown and a brim. But the crown is much shallower and therefore you either need to put it on a hairband or attach it with an elastic to make it stay in place. Those have been really, really popular this year, so things like a very low crowned boater hat were in. It&#8217;s great because if you&#8217;re at a wedding you can still wear something fairly large, but if you have it angled your face remains exposed for a photograph.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-have-any-colours-been-particularly-in-demand">Have any colours been particularly in demand? </h3>



<p>I would definitely say yellow which is unusual because it&#8217;s not normally a popular colour. Yellow does come in lots of different shades, and while an acidic yellow doesn&#8217;t suit everyone, a nice warm yellow does. We stock a variety of different shades, and at one point I was actually selling out of yellow hats. I had to quickly make some more which was a surprise!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-the-secret-to-finding-the-perfect-hat">What&#8217;s the secret to finding the perfect hat?</h3>



<p>Lots of different things! When somebody comes in for a hat consultation, I always try to understand where they&#8217;re going, what they&#8217;re wearing, what they are trying to achieve at this event, and their confidence. Once I know these things, I can quite quickly work out how big or dramatic they can go, then it&#8217;s a matter of finding the right shape and colour that fits with all those things. With a hat, different crowns suit different people, so that&#8217;s another thing to look at. I always encourage everyone to try lots of different ones on and have an open mind until we find the right hat for them, and one that fits their confidence level. It&#8217;s a very personal thing.</p>



<p>The thing is, we spend so much time on our hair because it frames our faces and it&#8217;s what people notice when they see us. The hat does exactly the same. Just grabbing a hat, sticking it on your head, and saying &#8216;that&#8217;ll do&#8217; isn&#8217;t really the right way of thinking about things. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-design-to-completion-how-long-does-it-take-you-to-make-a-hat">From design to completion, how long does it take you to make a hat?</h3>



<p>Oh, gosh &#8211; I get asked that question a lot! It depends on lots of different things. The time of year has an impact on how long it takes simply because the suppliers of fabric and feathers are under enormous pressure, pre-Ascot for instance. How long does it actually take me to make a hat? Depends on the hat and how it&#8217;s made, what the trimmings are. Some hats are very simple and much easier and quicker to make than others. Sometimes I even hand paint the fabric to match a design on a dress.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-in-Studio.jpg" alt="liz felix hats custom hats near me" class="wp-image-82828" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-in-Studio.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-in-Studio-533x800.jpg 533w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-in-Studio-667x1000.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-in-Studio-267x400.jpg 267w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/Liz-in-Studio-768x1152.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-make-them-in-store">Do you make them in-store?</h3>



<p>Yes, I do. I have the whole building, so I&#8217;ve got another two floors above the shop. On one level I do all the sewing and the blocking, and the top level I use for dying fabric and painting. I try to keep that bit separate from the rest &#8211; I&#8217;m not the neatest or tidiest!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-race-season-must-be-absolutely-mental-for-you-what-are-some-of-the-craziest-hats-you-ve-ever-made">Race season must be absolutely mental for you! What are some of the craziest hats you&#8217;ve ever made?</h3>



<p>Yes, millinery is quite seasonal. In the spring, people are looking at summer weddings, and I do a lot of hats for mother of the brides. Obviously, there&#8217;s Ascot and the racing season, but I also attend the Henley Regatta every year and have a large marquee. It&#8217;s still busy with weddings later in the year, but much quieter than spring. As for crazy hats, I once made one for Dame Steve Shirley which she wanted to represent the solar system. That was definitely a unique request. I also had one in the window last week which was a bit bonkers. It was fluorescent orange with pink pom poms. If I&#8217;m left to my own devices I just go off on a tangent and create things. I love to do that as I can make whatever I want!</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-your-favourite-local-foodie-hangout">What&#8217;s your favourite local foodie hangout?</h3>



<p>Well, I&#8217;m very lucky as I&#8217;m near The Collective. They have some amazing pastries and cakes in there, which I&#8217;ve tried lots of. There are some really lovely cafés in Caversham. We are spoiled with places to eat and to have a great coffee. It&#8217;s got so many independently owned restaurants and still has that unique feel and individuality that a lot of towns have lost. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1250" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-2.jpg" alt="hat makers near me berkshire" class="wp-image-82831" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-2-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-2-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-2-320x400.jpg 320w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/berkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/10/hats-2-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-you-re-not-making-hats-what-do-you-like-to-do-in-your-spare-time">When you&#8217;re not making hats, what do you like to do in your spare time?</h3>



<p>Me and my husband love eating out and regularly do. I am almost opposite the Griffin pub which does great food. There is also Vegivores in Caversham, which being a veggie, it&#8217;s amazing to be able to go somewhere where they&#8217;ve got a lovely selection of really nice food. I don&#8217;t go there as often as I would like because my husband is not a vegetarian, so we do have to compromise, but I go with my girlfriends. I also have two dogs, Barbara and Margot, who often come to work with me, so I walk them, and we eat out most evenings. My life is just taken up with family, friends, and food to be honest!</p>



<p><strong><em>Find <a href="https://www.lizfelixhats.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Liz Felix Hats</a> in Caversham now.</em></strong></p>



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Muddy meets local hat extraordinaire Liz Felix

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