40 hats in 3 hours

So whilst normal people were having a fun night out with friends a week last Friday, or indeed relaxing at home with a glass of wine, I was carting two suitcases of hat-making stuff across Paris after already having done a very early shift at the BBC in London. But it was all for a very good cause! I was booked to make hats the following day at the wedding of Jean Francois Piege, who's chef at Paris's hottest new restaurant Thoumieu. Until recently he was chef at The Crillon Hotel's Les Ambassadeurs, where he earned himself two michelin stars. He's the Gordon Ramsey of France apparently, so the wedding was rather an incredible event. It was held at a chateau 40km or so outside the city, and there were lots of famous Gallic types milling around - although being English, I was blissfully unaware of who was who. I had to make 40 hats in around 3 hours for some of the female guests - who were then able to party the night away in a little bespoke creation by moi! I was really looking forward to having a taste of the food - but sadly I was assigned to the servant's quarters - boo hoo!!! It was a real experience - and I absolutely LOVED the couples' car - especially the hat-boxes which were used instead of mundane tin cans. Tres chic - non?!