1880's Mourning Hat

When I wore my black Victorian bustle costume last December. I was asked a lot by the public if it was mourning costume, others just assumed it was. Although it is completly black it was not intended to be a mourning costume. If it had been I would have done more research into the etiquette of mourning dress. Also I wasn't in mourning at that moment.

This hat however is exactly what it looks like, a mourning hat. When I started working on it the only idea behind it was to make a hat for my black bustle costume. I stopped working on it when I found out that my mother was terminally ill and dying of cancer. This was also the reason why I stopped working on most, if not all, of my projects. My mother has passed away on the 11th of June and for me the best way to express and deal with my emotions always has been though my creativity. So making this mourning hat in her honor was kinda like therapy for me.