Having spent a busy few weeks moving into an exciting new studio space (more on this soon), The Headonista is back with an inspiring new workshop for festival season.
If you love a good festival you will already have heard of the wonderful Shindig Festival, which kicks off festival season in true style this year with a Mad Hatters fancy dress theme. This happens to be one of my favourite themes and one that has inspired many of my previous creations.
Given all of these marvelous things it would be rude not offer a fabulous face to face Mad Hatter Workshop to help all you marvelous party people prepare.
I’ve been wanting to run more workshops for ages, and now that I have a premises to do that from I will be scheduling regular themed workshops – sign up to my mailing list here: theheadonista@gmail.com.
I am also taking commissions on the Mad Hatter theme and have a few slots remaining. Tell me what you really want if you’d love a bespoke creation to wow your friends.
Speaking of commissions…I can’t say too much but this month I’m also working on THE BIGGEST TOP HAT I’ve ever made! More on this as soon as I’m allowed.
Those of you who read my last blog will know how excited we are for Mardi Gras. And of course it is Valentines as well this month (see my Valentines collection here).
Given that there is so much to celebrate this month we have decided to spread the love with a fabulous giveaway!
That’s right, you can win this beautiful, floral turban (worth £95) completely free! And we’ll even pay for the postage too (within the uk).
So, how do you enter?
Share this post on Facebook and tag three friends that you think would look amazing wearing this gorgeous headdress.
AND
Tell us in the comments below where you would wear this if you are lucky enough to win.
We’ll announce the winner on our Facebook page on February 29th 2020.
Terms and conditions apply.
Good luck everyone!
Terms and conditions
1.One prize only.
2.Winner selected at random from valid entries only.
3.All entries must be submitted before midnight GMT on the 28th of February 2020.
4.Only one entry per household.
5.No alternatives will be offered / this item cannot be exchanged for cash equivalent or for credit on this site.
6.Free postage to UK only.
Mardi Gras or Carnival is a traditional street celebration very popular throughout the world and particularly in America and Brazil. The largest parades take place in Rio and New Orleans. Strings of beads or other knick-nacks are often flung into the crowd from impressive floats that are paraded through the streets. Everyone is encouraged to dress up in their most impressive costumes and masquerade balls often form part of the celebrations.
This year’s carnival season in New Orleans runs from Jan 6th to February 25th, other places may vary.
What’s it all about?
With its origins steeped in the Christian faith, the event offers a much needed opportunity to let down your hair and celebrate the wilder side of society. Held just before lent, Mardi Gras is all about indulging. Feasting on the things that will be abstained from during Lent (meat, sugary foods, alcohol etc) and also indulging in the sort of reckless behaviour that we are normally expected to refrain from, such as public drinking and social satire. I guess the idea behind it is it’s easier to be ‘well behaved’ if you’ve got it out of your system first.
So, if a massive street party with parades and masquerade balls is up your alley, then Mardi Gras is definitely for you!
Is there a theme?
Purple, gold and green are the traditional Carnival colours. They are said to represent justice, faith and power, respectively.
Carnival is all about big, bold headdresses and elaborate costumes. Imaginative masquerade balls are part of the celebration and participants are encouraged to dress in surreal and secretive attire. In some traditions the costumes are taken one step further. Witches to scare away winter, or comedy representations of (un)popular political figures.
And it’s all about the music too. Brass bands, dancing, everyone crowded together in the streets. Fiesta!
A wonderful theme to work with, it is very open to interpretation. This makes it a popular theme for parties and festivals (such as this years’ Shindig Festival).
The Headonista at Carnival
At The Headonista we LOVE to dress up. We are passionate about creating captivating costumes and headdresses. Big, statement pieces or intricate character ideas, we can create whatever you can imagine.
Whether you are a performer looking for a show stopping headpiece or simply a party-goer wanting to stand out from the crowd…we’ve got you covered.
Our Carmen Miranda headdresses are very popular for Carnival, this eye-catching pineapple turban is one of our best sellers!
And we have a whole collection of fun and impressive headwear that is perfect for Carnival
As always, our books are also open for unique commissions – whatever your idea, we can make it a reality! Get in touch with TheHeadonista to discuss your design ideas..
Wherever, and however, you chose to celebrate you will always look fabulous in a Headonista creation!
Halloween is always a great time of year for ghoulish fun. Here at theheadonista.com it’s always a good time for dressing up. These days Halloween is all about extravagant fancy dress and an excess of sweets… but look back at the origins of this holiday and you’ll see that it’s about so much more than fancy dress and treats.
Halloween, or Samhain as our celtic ancestors called it, is the time of year when the veil between the worlds of the living and dead are thinnest. Traditionally this means that the spirits of the dead are closer and more accessible than usual. Gifts of food were given to appease hungry spirits and to show that the ancestors are venerated and respected. The tradition of dressing up can also be traced back to our celtish ancestors. The Celts wore costumes made from animal hides to aid them in their ceremonial predictions for the coming year.
Halloween – trick or treat?!
Whether you are dressing up for fun, to scare the locals or to commune with the spirits of your ancestors…The Headonista has you covered! Is your inner Goth just screaming to get out?! Are you zombie curious, feeling mystical, supernatural or just downright horrific? Anything is possible. With one of my headdresses all eyes will be on your head!
Dressing up is always fun and Halloween is the perfect time to explore your dark side. This Halloween why not trick others or treat yourself at theheadonista.com
Check out my Halloween collection here or get in touch if you want to order something bespoke
…and with the Day of the Dead — El Día de los Muertos to celebrate on the 2nd of November it’s only a couple of days before you can wear your creation again!
One of the things I love about going to festivals is the fancy dress. There’s something so liberating about putting on a costume and becoming someone/something else for a while. I have had some fantastic interactions with other people whose costumes matched or related to mine. The joy that that spreads is very infectious.
Some festivals in particular excel at creating an immersive theme, so here’s my shortlist for 2019.
Shindig – Get Fruity
Shindig is one of the first festivals of the season and takes place in a beautiful location in Somerset. Voted best boutique festival by The Guardian last year, this is definitely a festival to keep an eye on. This year’s ‘Get Fruity’ theme saw some great costumes paraded. My personal favourites were the lady riding a banana and the plethora of pineapple helmets. I saw a lot of fantastic homemade costumes, from crates of fruit for hats to balloons worn as bunches of grapes. There was even a swarm of wasps, which was a fun ‘out of the box’ approach to the theme.
Shambala – Extinction Carnival
Well known for their eco-friendly attitude to putting on events, Shambala’s theme this year invites participants to celebrate those species now extinct, or on the edge of it. The quality of peoples’ costumes always blows me away at Shambala, they have a strong reputation for attracting people who love to go all out with their fancy dress…I can’t wait to see what people will come up with for this fabulous theme.
Nozstock – The Wizard of Noz
Now in it’s 21st year, this festival in Herefordshire is small but perfectly formed. With a broad range of music styles and a great attention to detail on the decor front, this a fantastic festival for those who love things a little freaky and wild. This years’ theme is a big nod towards the iconic film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and I’m sure will see some pretty outlandish costumes – expect flying monkeys and evil witches galore, if past years are anything to go by!
El Dorado – Jungle Boogie
Another festival in Herefordshire, this one nestled in the grounds of Eastnor Castle Deer Park, El Dorado actually have 2 dress up themes this year. Opting for ‘Gold’ as their theme for Saturday, which is nice and broad, with scope to take it as subtle or all encompassing as you wish. Their Sunday theme is ‘Jungle Boogie’ which is a fun nod to The Jungle Book and I’m sure will see costumes inspired by Jungle music fashion too.
Competition – Would you like to win a pair of rainbow heart hair grips? I have three pairs up for grabs! Simply leave a comment on this blog with the most fantastical fancy dress theme you can think of and I’ll pick my favourites on the 15th July. Only one entry per person, so choose carefully!
Feeling stressed about the pressure to look hot for your date on Valentines? Want to know how to instantly transform into a sexier you, without spending a penny or watching what you eat? Then read on…
If you want to know the miraculous way you can cling film yourself skinny, the perfect make-up technique to keep you looking young, the right words to say to make anyone swoon at your feet…
Then you’ll have to read a different blog, because the truth is all of that is bullshit! There is only one thing you can do to make a significant impact on your sex appeal…and it isn’t about forcing your body to be a certain shape, or scripting the perfect chat up line. The single most important thing you can do to look sexy this valentines is…
Whatever sparks your confidence! It may sound cliche but it’s true. When you feel good about yourself it shows. It gives you a glow that no highlighter can mimic.
We all have things we don’t like about our appearance. But when we focus on those things, we magnify them out of proportion. So my advice for looking sexy is really to create a moment of self care…Putting on sexy clothes and doing your make-up may help, if that makes you feel good, but it certainly isn’t essential. What really matters is how you talk to yourself in your head, how you feel.
So, whatever you’re wearing this valentines, I hope you have a smile to go with it, ‘cos you really are worth it.
