Aretha Franklin made an impression on the fashion world with her handmade church hat at the recent  inauguration of Barack Obama.
Mr. Song Millinery, a boutique hat maker based in Detroit has said that they made Aretha Franklin’s hat as a special, one of a kind hat just for her.  You can’t buy one the identical hat, but Mr. Song makes other stunning hats.
These are hats for women who like to be noticed, who like to make an impression.  For the woman with charisma!  Here are a few picks from their Fall/Winter 2008 hat collection:

The hats aren’t available for sale online …read more

I was just recently introduced to the design company of Hoakan/Helga and their unique collection of jewelry, bags & scarves.
They specialize in one-of-a kind designs, with vintage, re-purposed and hand-dyed accessories, like this “Long Scarf“:

It’s 100% silk, dyed with natural dyes and then rusted – too cool!
The “Eva” bag is made from vintage leather, hand-printed cotton and a vintage dress:

And of course, I needed to include this charming “Two Bird” necklace – it’s created from vintage jewelry and recycled chain:

all images: Hoakan/Helga