An Afternoon with the Mad Hattress and Foxy Prince Charles

Being a dog lover has its advantages.  It makes it easier to strike up conversation with random people when you find sincere interest in their pet.  I met Patricia and her Pomeranian, the Foxy Prince Charles after dropping off my unwanted items at the Goodwill.  Patricia was commenting on the cart full of children being towed in a large red wagon by a daycare worker, claiming that the kids look like a litter of energized puppies in a cardboard box.  What an appropriate analogy, I thought, and walked over to greet her and her dog.  After saying goodbye and walking away, I realized Patricia might make for an interesting subject, so I ran back to give her my business card.  Patricia called me that afternoon and invited me to her home the next day.


With camera in hand, which I usually have with me in case anything interesting happens, I walked  to Patricia's  house and was treated to a rare surprise.  Little did I know that Patricia is known as the "Mad Hattress," an artist who embellishes hats she buys from the Goodwill store and turns them into wearable art.  She is only known through word of mouth.  As soon as I walked through her front door, I was shocked by the kaleidoscope of textures and color.  Her home was filled wall to wall with hats, clothes, dolls, scarves, photographs, and kitsch items. One can't navigate her home without stepping on something interesting.


Patricia has an incredible fashion sense....both glamorous and eccentric.  I don't know of any other 68-year old who can pull off fish net stockings like she can.  While most of us find comfort in jeans and a t-shirt, Patricia's daily outfits are works of art, drawing the eyes of tourists and passersby alike.  Her wardrobe is to die for.  Literally.  Those are indeed real mink stoles around her neck.

In addition to hat-making, Patricia dabbles in photo collage.  Her work is interesting, using hundreds of individual hand-cut photos to create new unique landscapes.  My favorite is the one above, in which she superimposes various versions of her mom behind the flower bushes in front of the Golden Gate arboretum.  What a playful and  witty way to memorialize your deceased mother!

Patricia's home is a living gallery - evidence of devotion to one's craft (and hoarding tendencies).  Unlike most galleries, her house is not open to the public.  If one is lucky enough to be invited, you can be sure that you'll have an interesting time. One can spend hours examining her collections and hearing stories of her fascinating past..... performing in theater, playing in a rock and roll band, traveling the world, and campaigning for various politicians.  Her home speaks to a colorful, adventurous life.  Although her hats are supposedly for sale, she finds it incredibly hard to part with her artwork.  There were plenty of hats in her collection that I wanted to buy, but she was reluctant to sell any of them.  Now I understand why she has such a huge inventory of hats.

Pictures of her youth (above) reveal a stunning woman.  She was often compared to Sandra Dee, known for her innocent, playful beauty.  However, Patricia reminds me instead of the late Elizabeth Taylor, a woman fully aware of her power, beauty and elegance.