The inspiration to make this piece came from my love of vintage hats and my obsession with Pieris japonica. This spring bloomer is pure gold to a florist—its exquisite cascading shape, bell-shaped flowers, and strong branches make it a wonderful choice for all design applications. I chose to work with these blooms exclusively for this piece to really show off its natural beauty. Beyond the pieris, all you’ll need to make this impressive fascinator are a plastic skull cap, Oasis floral adhesive, tape, and a bit of florist wire. If pieris is unavailable or out of season, you can use materials with a similar structure and form, such as spirea, kochia, veronica, acacia, or heather.
STEP 1: Trace a large “C” shape on the plastic skull cap and cut it out.
STEP 2: Using the waterproof tape, secure the skull cap base to the head form in the intended wear position.
STEP 3: Cover the floral wires with stem wrap tape. Adding this slightly tacky tape will give them more “grab.” You will use the wires to bobby pin the fascinator to the hair, so a nonslip surface is crucial.
STEP 4: Using waterproof tape, secure the taped floral wires to the fascinator base.
STEP 5: Starting at the front of the piece, attach 3 to 5 complete bloom heads with waterproof tape until you’ve created fullness in the front focal area of the fascinator.
STEP 6: Cut the remaining pieris strands from their clusters.
STEP 7: Add a fine layer of glue to the fascinator base, working on a few inches of surface area at a time.
STEP 8: Squeeze out more adhesive, about a quarter-size dollop at a time, into a little bowl or scrap of cardboard. Add individual strands of pieris, first dipping each into the glue, then attaching to the fascinator base. With each addition, press and hold the stem in place to ensure that it’s locked securely in place. Position all the strands so they lie in the same direction to create an effortless visual flow.
STEP 9: Once the entire base is covered, add multiple additional floral layers to the piece, paying close attention to the front half of the piece.
STEP 10: Add final strands of pieris to the focal area, choosing the most beautiful blooms and positioning them within the existing floral layers to fill gaps, create fullness, and add volume to the focal area. Allow the strands to cascade gracefully.
STEP 11: To store this piece, spray with water, seal it inside an airtight plastic bag, and store in a cooler or refrigerator.
STEP 12: To wear the piece, pin it into the hair with the bobby pins. The first bobby pin secures the wire into the hair; the second crosses over the first, forming an “X” to lock it securely into place.
