My name is Sally Faith Steinmann, and I am the owner and founder of MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® custom millinery for women.
EARLY YEARS
I was born on Cape Cod, Massachusetts at a time when hats were going out of fashion. Yet as a little girl I was fascinated with millinery. My favorite movie was My Fair Lady, and I created fanciful hats and costumes for her stuffed animals. I believe this early playful experimentation in fabric design laid the foundation for a future career working in fabric.
EARLY FASHION INFLUENCES
I studied at Wellesley College with majors in women’s issues and psychology. My particular area of interest was with the choices women make about what they wear. I firmly believed that fashion should be about what makes a woman feel good about herself; about what reflects her unique personality.
MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS CUSTOM MILLINERY
After graduation I returned to Cape Cod. In 1998 I started her own hat company, naming it MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® in honor of my beloved tiger kitty, Maggie Mae.
My mission with the hat company was to remind women that fashion, and especially hats, can be fun! To remind a woman that there is more than one standard of beauty – and it begins very simply with her own.
Over the years I have created custom fabric hats for the Kentucky Derby, weddings and teas to name a few. I have been blessed to see my millinery creations grace Her Majesty the Queen’s garden parties in Scotland, the Royal Ascot races and the winner’s circle at the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont.
Because I have always been passionate about retired racehorse aftercare, in 2009 I started an annual fundraiser, “Hats off to the Horses” to benefit Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement in Kentucky. The fundraiser has been running for 13 consecutive seasons and raised more than $45,000 for the retired racehorses at Old Friends.
PRESS
My hats have been featured on CNN.com, in The New York Times and the Royal Ascot Magazine. Others include Victoria Magazine, Charleston Magazine (Bridal Issue), and the National Museum of Horse Racing and Hall of Fame.
A PASSION FOR WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
“I never ever would have thought that picking up a camera would change my life as a custom milliner”!
And yet that is just what happened. I will be sharing this unexpected and delightful experience in my blog which you can click here to visit – Images of Cape Cod. In the meantime please enjoy the slideshow below of some of my most recent wildlife/nature photos…
For more information about me or my custom millinery please send me an email, I would love to hear from you! If you experience any difficulty in sending an email, please call me directly at 774-316-4977.
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