Summer Sale!

It's Another Crowning Achievement!

Gwendolyne Hats Tops Up Twenty Years with a Contest

You could be a WINNER!

Enter on Facebook or twitter as many times as you want to Win in our Random Draw.

See instructions and prizes below.

Facebook instructions:

Post a photo of "you in your favourite hat" on our Facebook fan page, with a short comment that includes the words "amazing Gwendolyne Hats".

Click here to enter: https://www.facebook.com/GwendolyneHats

First "Like" us on Facebook. Then upload a picture of yourself in your hat on our Facebook page wall (no limit to entries). Make sure your comment includes the words "amazing Gwendolyne Hats".

twitter instructions:

Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/gwendolynehats 
Then tweet as often as you can with our #20yearsofGwendolyneHats hashtag.

The more you tweet the greater your chances are to win in our draw.

1st prize ~ A beautiful hand-made Gwendolyne Hats hat valued up to $250 in your fit.

One 1st prize winner. On Dec 12th final winner is drawn for 1st prize

Winner has one year to claim their hat prize.

2nd prize ~ A hand-made Gwendolyne Hats Christmas stocking valued at $185, 
with a ticket to the One of a Kind Show.

One 2nd prize winner. Draw happens on day 7 at the OOAK - Nov 30th

Winner must come down to pick up their prize at the show and get their photo taken.

3rd prize ~ tickets for One of a Kind show Nov 24-Dec 4th

Winners pick up their ticket at our shop and get a photo taken with it to share on our social platforms

using the hashtag for twitter or uploading on Facebook.

Thank You and Good Luck to everyone!

Good Vibrations!

It's Summer in the city and we are HOT. Our stylish Atelier is right in the heart of the Fashion District. Gwendolyne designs are hand cut and individually made in downtown Toronto. This local landmark marks the spot. The greenery of our building; 401 Richmond St. West, is above the red streetcar in the photo to the right.



Gwendolyne's Boutique is more than beautiful Hats. It's a colourful shop for Summer.  We design, create and sell magical things. Come see for yourself, you'll love it. Our unique accessories for the body and your home radiate with spirit.



Today Suzen Sam is celebrating her brand new Abbey Road. Suzen is the Girl on the go for Google Adwords. She's a buzz of positive energy and loves bees. Gwendolyne sewed a bee on her bonnet and off she went to conquer the world.



Wow! Have a look! This month we've got a full page in Toronto's number one Japanese magazine. I just love the Japanese characters in the copy. The shoot was fun, it taught me a few things about product photography. A special thank you goes out to everyone at bits magazine.



Men love Gwendolyne Hats too! In a world of sameness, men are joining the hunt for personal marks of distinction. Jeff wanted his custom-made hat to feature a maple leaf button cut from the original copper roof that covered our Parliament Buildings. Thoughts like that can shape our destiny. Cast your vote everyday for a better world.

We create beautiful things of value that reflect personality and enhance people's lives. We're proud of what we do and that feels good. What more could you ask for!

Turn up the Heat

Our radiant Shop awaits... It's brimming with beautiful things. We bring artistry, fresh design and fine materials to practical accessories. So you can look your best and feel it too. Once you've experienced a Gwendolyne design you understand. Our kind of quality creates a lasting impression.

We'd love to show you our latest. There's something for everyone at Gwendolyne Hats. We've introduced exciting new designs & a range of affordable prices to please. Make it an outing, bring friends and enjoy.



Gwendolyne makes magic in the heart of her Atelier.
Sometimes her surroundings are as exciting as the finished piece.
Beautiful materials inspire great things, details create character.



We create modern classics you enjoy everyday.
All the world's a stage. You can play the Romantic in our new Corona.



Cordy cap & Boucle scarf with an autumn fringe.
Never underestimate the benefits of a great hat and scarf. A warm smile & cozy disposition can change your day. We took this picture out on the street. I wanted to capture Toronto's vibrant urban culture.

Many coloured scarves & a Mikado shoulder bag in blue.

The cavalcade of colour outside our windows has been absolutely stunning. It's just so beautiful I had to get some pictures. To see my slideshow click here.You'll get the first peak at our new Amelia design, as in Earhart the aviator. Yes a new Gwendolyne hat with earflaps has arrived.

Avoid the crowds. Shop with us before we go to the One of a Kind Show.
Our cozy Shop is where you'll get the most selection & personal service.

We look forward to your arrival!
Our last shopping day before the show is Friday November the 20th.

Our Garden of Earthly Delights

It’s been a different kind of summer this year in Toronto, elusive and uncertain. A little bit like our world today. One minute its looking good and the next minute it’s not. The plants have certainly flourished. Perhaps it’s because they follow a natural order. They just keep the faith, move forward with confidence and grow with the flow. I guess the lesson here is to trust your instincts and make the best of what you've got. In short live for the day and advance with optimism.

I read a wonderful quote that sums this thought up nicely:

“Success is a journey not a destination and half the fun is getting there.”
- Gita Bellin

Here are some sunny Summer moments from the award winning Rooftop Garden outside our window. The first is a picture of Gwendolyne, the beautiful spirit who continues to inspire my life. And if you're familiar with Gwendolyne Hats, chances are she’s inspired you too. Many smiling faces have passed through our doors and left with joy in their hearts. Love is the thread that connects our work together. Love is full of meaning. Everything in our Atelier is infused with a little bit of that magic.

"The mind determines what is possible. The heart surpasses it.''
- Pilar Colinta

These days we've been starting work with a refreshing tête-à-tête on the Roof Garden. This peaceful oasis gets our creative juices flowing while nature's power helps to ground us. Our studio is right in the heart of the city. As we contemplate our day ahead we can feel the energy of the urban landscape around us. It's a wonderful balance. While the city feeds our mind and belly, the garden feeds our soul. I dream of a day when the roof tops of the world are green and we all live in greater harmony with nature.

Our work is a magnet for happy people. During the Summer months many travel to our city. They are always thrilled to discover this marvelous building our business calls home. Here is Lily an artist and hat lover from Vancouver who found us on her holiday. One of our greatest pleasures is meeting kindred spirits who like ourselves share their joy and spread happiness wherever they go.

As luck would have it last week we got away for a holiday up north at a cottage on Horseshoe Lake. It was so refreshing to dive into the water and wash our cares away.

It was a well deserved rest. We've been very busy working on some exciting new surprises for the cool seasons ahead. Vacations are relaxing but they're also a great opportunity to see life from a clear perspective. In our case it has re-confirmed our direction. Art is our calling and creativity the driving force behind our life. True to our hearts we have always made choices to follow that path. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but that's just who we are. We create the beautiful things that we think the world should see and we're proud of it. Our bottom line is quality and true value with meaning. This year you can expect our collection to be the best ever. Seize the day and get them while you can. After all where would the world be without flowers.

Fairy Tales

by William

It’s a lazy Summer day at Gwendolyne Hats and that feels good. We’ve been very industrious lately now it's time to relax. After the Toronto Outdoor Art Show we took a little break to enjoy the creativity of our studio and experience some of the excitement our city has to offer.

Our Shop’s been busy with some delightful visitors from abroad. Summer is a great time for travel and we’ve met new people from Japan, Italy and the States.

Tonight we’re off to the Toronto Music Garden for a wonderful outdoor concert of classical music down by our waterfront. Tucked away at the foot of Spadina, this magnificent garden is a magical setting for many reasons.



Its intimate outdoor concerts are always outstanding and the garden is absolutely gorgeous. The local birds play host to 2 free concerts a week all summer long. If you listen carefully you can hear them singing along with the music for their supper. We always bring a picnic dinner to double the fun. I’m looking forward to Persian Music for a Summer Night Thursday Aug 7th. ~ Maybe we’ll see you there.

If you want to see a slide show of this beautiful garden in full bloom click here.






A special thanks to all the people involved with the Music Garden; especially Tamara Bernstein, for providing us with this enlightening opportunity.








The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition was great fun this year. It’s always such an amazing display of beautiful handmade things from the heart. This year was no exception. Our booth was bustling with fresh and familiar faces. I think people really enjoyed themselves. I know we did.



There are 3 Graces in Greek mythology. Each with the power to grant charm, happiness and beauty. Here is a picture of the modern version; Gwendolyne, Evelyn and Joey. It was sunny and hot, hot, hot, with the occasional breeze. We drank lots of water and entertained many. It was the peak of the season. By the end of the weekend I really appreciated the value of a great hat.






Yes our hats are practical. They also bring a lot of character into the theatre of life. Have a look at Evelyn. She's playing "Juliette" in one of our blue Zinnia hats. “ Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Wow! She's so beautiful we felt lucky.


And here is our good friend the lovely Rita. She's wearing a vintage Gwendolyne hat called the Garden Shade. How's that for a little glamour! You can see that our work is about self-expression. We create magical things to inspire peoples' individuality, beauty, beliefs and spirit.

What a refreshing relief. Our booth was close to the Peace Garden, a lush oasis in a sea of cement. If you travel with a few trees and bring along some running water you can usually attract a breeze. But lets be sensible. You'll always be cool under the brim of a fabulous Gwendolyne Hats original!

It's Hip to be Happy!

by William

We had a taste of summer this weekend and it was delicious. The city felt joyful and sprang to life. There was a buzz in the air and people were talking. It was a magical moment the world was smiling. I thought, we need more of a life like this.

That evening the rain came down in all its thunderous glory and brought cool weather. The time had passed so quickly it felt like a dream. It’s going to be a long hot season ahead, so I continued to nurture my thought from the weekend. I imagined what the Summer of Love was like and the positive things that decade had to offer. Peace, love and understanding. Free thinking, self- awareness. We could certainly use more of those ideas today.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a new era of optimism and hope? Now is a good time to start. Inspire the world around you; celebrate life and all it has to offer. Let's put the power back into the flower!








Gwendolyne and I live by these ideas. We invest our work with positive energy and share it with you. Yes we make beautiful things but we're philosophers too! Our designs have purpose, feel good and feed your spirit. This summer step out with confidence and spread that joy forward.

So, if you want to treat yourself to something special that has meaning and lasting value, Gwendolyne Hats shop in Toronto is the place to be!




We love music and it's power to transport us to another time or place. Recently we had the pleasure to enjoy a marvelous concert right on our doorstep. Donald Quan and his new store Musideum were celebrating their grand opening. This amazing new addition to our building sells captivating old, new and exotic instruments. Wow! What wonderful sounds come from incredible instruments.



While working with our hands we love listening to Jazz FM 91.1 Sometimes it's the soundtrack to our life. This was totally confirmed when we heard “It’s Hip to be Happy”. This jazzy tune by Ann Hampton Callaway is an anthem for our times. You must read her lyrics, they’re light hearted, charming and very timely. Busy lives can be distracting. It's always nice to be reminded that a big smile, a positive attitude and...
A Great Hat can change the day!


We invite you to visit us at Our shop Tuesday to Saturday from noon till six.

Or, Come to the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit in Nathan Phillips Square.
July 11-13, 2008

We will be in Booth 560 in the turquoise section. Just north of the Peace Garden.

Our Fertile Oasis!

by William

What a magnificent Spring we’ve had this year, so fresh and green. All we need now is the warmth of the sun. Then we can look forward to a big burst of colour to top it all off. It's the perfect opportunity to step out and enjoy life. Our studio has been filled with laughter and enthusiasm this month. Gwendolyne has begun teaching a fiber art workshop on Sundays called
the Four Elements. If you are interested in joining us please click here.

Water is the first element in this series and the weather has been very co-operative, with lots of rain for inspiration.

You may have seen Gwendolyne Hats on CityTV recently, JoJo Chinto stopped by our shop. He was doing a story about the award winning building our business calls home; 401 Richmond St. West. While JoJo tried on some hats, Gwendolyne talked about how this vibrant creative community has helped us and other people grow.

There’s always something exciting happening here at 401 Richmond and Our Atelier is no exception . If you love Culture, Design and the Arts you must drop by for a visit. It will uplift your spirits and enrich your life.

Sometimes you discover a special spot in the world that's so amazing you put down roots and blossom. That's what our atelier means to us. We're on the top floor. Our windows look out over the courtyard and onto the roof garden. It's a lush oasis of climbing vines and new growth out there these days. How inspiring!










It’s a quiet day today as we recover from Doors Open Toronto. We’re a popular destination on this city wide tour and this weekend was a lot of fun. Our Shop was bustling with activity as many new people took advantage of the opportunity to play dress up with our latest designs. As you can see we're more than just a hat shop. It was very rewarding to see the positive response.

There's a guest book in our Shop for comments. But, this weekend Gwendolyne got a big smile when the Lady Julia said,

"I am so happy to find this place. This is what the world needs these days, things made with care, wonderful materials and so much beauty. Your work speaks of individuality, I am so excited.
I want you to be successful as I love what you are making. You are making things that I can relate to, that have spirit and meaning". Then Julia bought something for herself to celebrate that idea!

It's great when people totally understand where you are coming from and cast their vote for the positive things in life. That's certainly what Gwendolyne and I believe in. If we noticed one common thread this weekend... More people are feeling this way too.

Button Up!

I love my new Abbey Road design. It has been a wonderful new addition to our collection and we've had a lot of success with it. For years my customers have been asking for a Gwendolyne peaked cap. Well here it is! These beauties take over 150 steps to build and they're worth it. This cut is so charming, people are just loving the luxurious lamb leather peak and the vintage button accent. This edition is limited so I encourage those who are interested to come and visit the shop, there's still great choice in your size.
This has been My Year of the Button!
I love detail and will always embellish my designs with handwork. I've used antique and vintage buttons, but this year I became a serious collector. You'll see evidence of this in my latest designs. I find older buttons extremely beautiful, they have far more character than those produced today. Like my work they are practical things that overflow with spirit.

I've added a bit more punch to our Clarissa cloche this year. The button accent is larger and plays a more dynamic role in its' detailing. The Celluloid buttons I've used, date from the 1890s to the 1930s. I have carefully selected the most beautiful button color and design to accent each hat. This way I can share my button passion with the world and get them back onto the street. It's great to see the big button trend on the new coat styles this year. Think about a hat to match. Oh what fun!

There are 3 stylish beret designs in our collection this year. Remember you don't need to be French to enjoy a beret. These days there are many people who enjoy the romance, comfort and style of this timeless design.

Here is picture of our Celeste on a happy new client. This is a very limited edition and each one is exquisite. There are great styling opportunities with this design because of it's fullness. Its' collage of different woven wools and button detailing has a striking old world sensibility.

As for our other 2 beret designs, the Ashley can be seen on our website and the Wool Beret is in our store. Drop by and you can try on all three.

I'm sad to say that this is the last year for our Tibetan design. This cozy Gwendolyne classic will look different next year. Unfortunately I'm unable to source all my materials.

Change is a constant and with that comes new beginnings. Over the last 10 years there's been a drastic change in global manufacturing. I used to order my custom trims from a 70 year old Canadian company that closed two years ago when it couldn't survive this shift. We will see more dramatic changes like this in the near future as our industries struggle to survive in this new economy.

As you can see the shelf in our shop is still full of this wonderful design. But this is the last batch. So, if you’ve enjoyed your hat and thought of replacing it, or if you’ve always dreamed of owning one... This is the year!

There is still time to visit our shop before we pack our work and go to The One of a Kind Show (at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto). Our shop will be closed from Wednesday Nov 15th until Dec 5th for this exciting shopping event.

If you can't make it to the show or prefer a more leisurely shopping experience be sure to drop by our shop before then. Come experience our fabulous new collection in the beautiful atelier where we design and create it.

Enjoy the pleasure of trying everything on in your own size and colours. Take your time and discover what looks best on you. Let our expertise and well-trained eyes be your guide. We love to give our clients the best in personal service. Perhaps an espresso coffee will be what you need when you drop by. Please ask us if you crave one, we love making them for our customers.

I grew up loving my handmade Christmas stocking. The Christmas morning ritual was to run downstairs with my brothers to see what Santa had put in them. Over years my stocking collected many wonderful memories of growing up. I made these stockings to re-create that same experience for someone else, a little piece of magic that could be passed from generation to generation. These luxurious stockings are made of the finest materials and decorated with appliquéd wool felt, glass beads, and antique buttons. They’re the perfect gift to stuff full of goodies. Give them to someone special...

Time is just flying by as we busily prepare for the One of a Kind Show. Our hectic and full schedule can be a bit daunting at times, but when I sit down and dream of my customers’ enthusiastic response to my beautiful new designs, it's all seems worthwhile.

I ask that you give us a blessing of good luck by rubbing this Buddha’s belly button.
He always brings a smile to my face.