Adelaide milliner Jo Honan swapped raceday headwear for a Netflix period drama, drawing on decades of vintage treasures to help bring My Brilliant Career to life.
The sage-green felt dated back to the 1950s, one of many vintage pieces in Jo Honan’s collection. When costume designer Mariot Kerr sifted through a selection of greens for Sybylla’s hat, that piece stood out. It would become one of the most talked-about hats in the series.
It wasn’t strictly a bowler. Jo gave it a modified pork-pie tip, kept the rounded edges and curled, upturned brim, and shaped the crown over a vintage block. A double bow at the front softened the masculine style, and the ribbons were salvaged from hats she had upcycled years earlier.
For the milliner behind Bonnetry Hats, the path to the screen began unexpectedly.
“I started off doing a short course, Introduction to Millinery, with my daughter, who I tagged along with,” she says. “Loved it.”
That first class led to six years of part-time study at TAFE SA and a growing realisation that she could make most of the hats she saw.
The screen work came through costume designer Kate O’Boyle, who studied alongside Jo at TAFE in 2011. The production employed hundreds of South Australians and worked with more than 400 local businesses.
Rather than aiming for strict historical accuracy, Kerr’s brief drew on early Edwardian fashion and the paintings of John Singer Sargent. Once Jo understood the vision, she says, the job became “a whole lot easier”.
She combined vintage felts and straws from the 1950s and ’60s with modern materials, trimming them with costume fabrics, vintage lace and ribbon. Aunt Helen’s everyday straw hat featured an inset from a vintage lace dress, applied for filming and later removed without damage.
The hats also helped tell the story of the characters who wore them. Sybylla’s hats began simply, with straw hats, boaters and carefree bows, and gained structure and sharpness as her story progressed. At the other extreme was Blanche’s opening-scene hat, with an oversized brim and extravagant silk bows.
“The larger hats’ trims need to be exaggerated to be obvious,” Jo says.
Film hats also need to withstand constant handling. Jo sews her hats together rather than gluing them, and worked with the hair and makeup team on attachments that disappeared into wigs while keeping each piece secure. It’s a lesson from her racewear days.
“There is nothing worse than seeing someone holding onto their hat all day,” she says.
A single hat can take anywhere from six hours to more than 60. Jo makes her own flowers using French flower tools and prefers to tackle trimming in the morning.
“Sometimes I get to the afternoon, my brain is tired, and nothing works. Getting that bow right can take me hours.”
She calls My Brilliant Career the best job she has ever had. Since it aired, little has changed beyond some good-natured teasing from friends, a few more followers and increased interest in her classes.
“I am proud of my work, but have yet to make anything that I would consider perfect,” she says. “Maybe one day.”
Find out more: @bonnetryhats
Think you can’t wear a hat? Jo Honan disagrees
Start with your face shape
The aim is balance between the hat and the wearer.
Trust an expert eye
“A milliner with experience can almost see what will suit them when they walk in,” Jo says.
Try the unexpected
“Most people are very surprised when they are encouraged to try something and it suits.”
Prioritise fit
A well-made hat should stay put all day without pinching or slipping.
Jo’s golden rule
“There is definitely a hat for everyone, and any hat is a good hat.”
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