Souri settled on the Vienna weave, an intricate, open octagonal pattern long favoured by fashion houses and notoriously difficult to create by hand. For her material, she chose jinsin, a millinery favourite she had never seen woven before. “It was going to be a lot of trial and error,” she said.
‘Dreamweaver’ combines three different weaves, including a braided edging fashioned from individual strands pulled from the main fabric. Because jinsin resists blocking, the crown was only lightly shaped to sit comfortably on the head, while wired edges give the design its sweeping curves. The entire structure rests on a wide headband made from the same material, which her model declared was “so comfortable”.
The finished piece is a sculptural gold lattice that sweeps up from the face in a dramatic tilted arc, gathering at its peak. Part basketry, part wearable art, it paired perfectly with a pared-back sand-coloured suit that let the millinery take centre stage.
“It was worth all the frustration and sore fingers,” she laughed.
Named in honour of one of Melbourne’s most celebrated style icons, the Lillian Frank AM MBE Millinery Award celebrates the creativity and craftsmanship of milliners who continue to push the boundaries of headwear design.
