In town for my sister-in-law's wedding, the Hat Box was the obvious choice for any of the guests who needed to buy the proper hat for the event. The space is small and packed with beautiful hats. The crowd of Americans somewhat overwhelmed the space, particularly in the warm July weather. But Gillian worked with each of us to find the right hat.
She selected the perfect hat right away for most of us. I continued to try on hats while the others arrived, not wanting the fun of hat shopping to be over. There were several that I loved enough to consider buying a whole new dress to match... but in the end, it was the first she'd recommended that I selected. After talking more with her, she said that she could add some feathers that matched my dress if I would bring it back. I paid for the hat, but left it there so that she could add the feathers after I brought the dress back to match.
While wandering around the rest of the covered market, I saw the most gorgeous exaggerated brim hat with curlicue in yellow and black that I just had to have. My husband asked Gillian to see it, and she fetched the porter for the key. The hat was amazing, but because of the price and because I was coming back for the feather matching the next day, Gillian advised me to sleep on it.
The next day I returned for the feather matching and the yellow hat.
With feathers selected, and yellow hat fetched, I asked about hatboxes, since I wouldn't have been able to get these beauties back to the US without one. Gillian at first mentioned that her boxes were quite large, but the yellow hat just fit at an angle, with room for my wedding hat underneath - perfect.
Another of the wedding party was able to pick up my hat with the feathers added next day. The wedding hat was perfect (love that most of the hats are on headbands now to secure them to your head) and brought many compliments, as did all the hats purchased by my fellow American wedding guests.
Both hats made it back to the US unharmed, though the rope of the box tore through one of the carrying holes in the process.
I highly recommended for your hat needs in Oxford!
2019 Reviews #16 read more