DIY so coco

As promised, the DIY hat very very "Maison Michel", again, I know but this brand is so inspiring, I'm an absolute fan of their whole collection... But the price is always a real concern, because a little hat at 760euros is complicated at the same time. Maison Michel is Chanel's hatmaker, so as usual, luxury craftsmanship goes hand in hand with a crazy price tag. So instead of crying foul, let's look at things differently and be inspired... As a little anecdote, I tried on this hat a few months ago at a hatmaker's in Paris, who has all kinds of hats. My boyfriend wears a hat every day, for a year and a half it's always the same model, and every 6 months it's the same ritual, sometimes felt for winter, sometimes wicker for summer, and all the while I'm trying on absolutely every crazy hat in the store! And last time it was this Maison Michel hereSince then, I've been trying to find a similar base to make a DIY...

For this DIY you'll need :

• Ring stems,
• Nails,
• Set of three pliers (one flat, one round and one sharp)
• White pearls (two sizes),
• Rings,
• And a small flat hat (found on etsy...) and a comb (optional)

To begin, thread a bead onto a ring stem, fig. 2. Using the cutting pliers, cut about 1cm from the bead so that there's enough room to create a loop with the round pliers, figs. 3&4. Open the ring of the second stem and hook it onto the first, fig. 5. thread a bead, cut, loop etc., fig. 6. Repeat the operation as many times as necessary so as to go all the way round the hat like a rosary, you see?

Then, using the nails, thread on a large bead, cut and loop figs. 1,2 & 3, just as you did with the rings on the stems... Do the same with the small pearls fig. 4. Open a ring, fig. 5 and create small clusters by threading a small pearl, a large one and a small one, then close the ring fig.6. Take up your pearl necklace/chapelet and hang your cluster between two pearls on the necklace fig.7, then alternate with a single small pearl fig.8.

You now have your pearl necklace fig. 1... Attach the beginning of your necklace to the end and fix it to the hat with a needle and thread, making small hand-stitches at the four cardinal points fig. 2. Then, if you want to wear it on the back of the head like I do, sew a small comb into the inside of the hat fig. 3. And TA-DA!

[:]