Arturo Rios is a hat maker with an abundance of talent. With a creative inspiration that circulates forcefully through the elegance and delicacy of fashion paradise, Rios’ 1950’s vibes are infused with the symbolism of the sky’s most spectacular visions: birds. The glorious hat designs ever so slightly offset the prominent statement of femininity and couture.
As I placed Arturo’s mesmerizing creations atop my head-one by one, they transformed my face into picturesque visions, while dreamlike auras of circus shows captivated my imagination! Arturo’s mastery is embedded within his ability to induce states of awe among those that play with his talents.
I showed up at Arturo Rios’ trunk show held at the Village Hat Shop, in Hillcrest, all I could see was a sea of women mesmerized and consumed by the task of trying on Rios’ genius hats. The spectacle reminded me of a masquerade ball of costumes and lace. Many of Rios’ hats are made from feathers from all kinds of birds. The magnificence of the purple magenta colors appearing on the rooster feathers was unreal! No pantone color pallet could dream such heavenly concoctions. While they were surely a pleasure to look at and try on, Arturo emphasized that each hat requires quite the bit of effort, “Each feather is placed individually and customized onto the pieces, the brooches sitting in the center are found in random vintage places all over the world.” The silk black veils that are slithering off the edges of the hat, to fold onto the face, are individually bought and picked from France. As I inspect a hat that looks like sunshine rays, Arturo describes the quality of the piece in vivid detail, “The delicacy of the silk is sourced from an actual 1950’s piece. See here…” Arturo points to the distinct fabric changes, “The top is lighter, while the silk is woven much tighter on the bottom, to cover the eyes in a mask-like illusion.”
Arturo’s visions are unreal. He says that they can sometimes come to him out of the blue like dreams, while other times he waits for days and gets nothing! “Generally, I look at the way birds move and communicate. I’m infatuated by their colors…by their being” he says. It is no surprise to me that birds look so stunning on and in Rios’ hats, the detail and precision of each lifelike ornament is infused with a magnificence expected in the most heavenly of creatures.
Arturo’s couture hats have been on the heads of Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga, not to mention featured and used in countless magazines and fashion spreads. The hats continue to adorn the heads of the nations most fashionable. Rios is fearless in his color usage and intends for his designs to be worn by those with a fine appreciation for couture and elegance, “There has to be a fine balance, in the use of my hats. Clothing must be chosen [accordingly].
It’s been a couple of hours since my stop at the hat shop and all I can think about is Arturo’s vivid use of colors, unbelievable projection of delicacy and the power of such an artistic accessory-the hat.
