

Looking for some old-fashioned elegance? Designer Blair Nadeau's label, Feathered, offers hair pins, hats, and feather fascinators that will make you stand out in a crowd.
Inspired by feathers, one of nature's most luxurious natural textiles, each piece is handcrafted and custom made for each customer using the finest materials imported to Canada from the United States and England.
Blair was born and raised in London, Ontario and was destined to succeed in the art world from the moment she picked up her first crayon. She stumbled into a love of fashion at the age of 15, both on her own accord and from the influence of her fashionable mother and grandmother. From that moment on, she pursued her love of fabric and sequins, studying two years of textile art and printmaking at London, Ontario's Beal Art school and then embarking on four years at Toronto's Ryerson University's prestigious fashion design school.
"I always struggled with where I fit in, in the fashion world," she says. "As much as I loved sewing and designing clothing, I didn't feel as though that was where, creatively, I belonged. I've always enjoyed tedious hand work: beading, sketching, hand embroidery, and painting. And I've always been infatuated with hats and headwear."
While in London, England, on a buying trip, Blair stumbled upon a fascinator/hat boutique in Selfridge's on Oxford street and began a love affair with all things feathered.

"When I discovered fascinators in England, they had not made their mark on North American fashion yet. I fell completely head over heels in love with them," she recalls. "After about eight months of teaching myself different techniques, I felt as if I had finally found my place in the fashion industry. I officially launched Feathered at the end of April 2009 and it's been going fabulously ever since!"
"Trying to come up with the right name for the company was a bit of a process," she explains. "I wanted a name that represented the main materials of the pieces, but I like things that are short, simple and modern. Eventually late one night, I came up with 'Feathered.' I thought that it was the perfect name as it embodied the materials used and explained the concept of the pieces all in one simple word."
Blair's April 2009 collection, Modern Vintage English Luxe, was inspired by the luxury of European life and of early Hollywood decadence. "I intially started the company specializing in cocktail hats and feathered hair bands/clips, but have seen an increasing demand for smaller hair pins," she says. "I have a fabulous hair pin titled England's Belle that is available for giveaway in black and white. It would be great for adding a little spice to a casual day wear ensemble or adding flare to great evening look. I am also beginning to dabble in bridal with feathered hair accessories, hats, and Russian veiling is becoming increasingly popular for bridal wear."
Blair's merchandise is available in boutiques in Toronto; customers can also view and order pieces on BlairNadeau.com. All designs can be modified with different jewels, shells, pearls, and feather colors. A two-week lead time is required for each meticulously created piece.

Chic Galleria and Blair Nadeau are giving away this gorgeous hair piece to one lucky Chic Galleria reader. How do I win you ask? Just visit www.BlairNadeau.com and check out all her incredible feathered pieces. Come back here and leave a comment. Do you have a special event you would love to wear this to? We want to hear about it!
Ends June 28th midnight EST.
Congratulations to Peggy Gorman~Winner!
I have to tell you all that when I received this hair piece for the giveaway, I was in awe! I asked Blair how she would personally recommend wearing it. The winner of this is a very lucky gal!
"It can be worn a variety of ways. Myself personally, since I always wear my hair down, I pull a piece of hair from the front and towards the back (boho like) and secure the pin in the hair towards the back of my head. Sometimes I pin it towards the front of my head holding back my hair behind my ears or holding back my bangs, or I just throw it in my hair at the side of my head, not holding anything...A lot of people have been pinning them into updos for weddings", says Blair.