If you want to get ahead wear a hat!

Press, 4 February 1987, Page 17

If you want to get ahead wear a hat!

David Shilling, milliner extraordinary, who made his name with outrageous Ascot hats for his mother, Gertrude, now includes the Princess of Wales in his clientele. Dun writer Trisha Browne shares his secrets with us.

The slogan used to be “if you want to get ahead, get a hat.” It’s still a very good way of gettingnoticed, particularly if it’s a David Shilling creation. He designed his first Ascot show stopper when he was 12 for his mother, Gertrude, and they’ve been laughing off the mockers ever since. His ambition was to crown the Princess of Wales and, although it took time, she eventually wore one of his hats.j Another favourite client was Evita star, Elaine Page. Her Ascot hat went by taxi to her home, but never arrived. It took David Shilling two hours to make another at $3OOO. This time, he made sure it went straight to her at the races, even if it had missed the post in the fashion stakes.

but he’s never boring. If you pick flowers, you’re more likely to get waterlillies or lupins than to come up roses.

Some of his designs are completely up the wall. He’s produced a range of wallpaper as well as elegant porcelain.

Now aged 36, he’s made himself a reputation as a flashy dresser, rather than just a flash in the pan success and has just writtern a book “Thinking Rich” (Robson) which he calls a personal guide to luxury living. - As you tot up the cents and realise you haven’t taken care of the dollars, it may be too late to qualify for the rich life. David Shilling reports in his money saving section on a Kentucky man who gave a party with an Egyptian theme and

His hats start at $3OO

wanted camels and an elephant. “He bought the camels because it was cheaper than hiring them while another racehorse owner flew in friends for a big party and charged them $225 a head.”

There are practical tips too. Why not keep lobsters fresh in your bath if the shops are shut over the week-end? But beware of one aspect of gracious living, he warns. If you go in for pots of pot pourri (dried flower petals), don’t leave them lying around at parties. “When you’re running down on crisps, there’s always one guest who tries to eat a mouthful,” he says, from experience.

He dedicates the book to his mother, “Who brought me into the world and showed me that from

then on, it was up to me what I did with it.”

In one section called Gold Diggers’ Guide, he suggests one way of meeting the rich and famous is to “Borrow a brat” and take him or her to their expensive private school for a while. You’ll soon find out who are the lonely or divorced. Assess their status by car spotting or asking your child.

“Kids can be very informative; ‘His house is bigger than ours,’ or ‘Her

father drives a Rolls Royce’ or ‘They’ve got an au pair’.” If you start a new relationship, there are ways of checking if you’ve struck it rich or not. Here’s how to weed out the misers, the Shilling way.

“If you’re sent a single rose, it may not be romantic, just mean,” he warns.

Add up by having a surprise birthday — yours — and see what you’re given. To double check,

pick a birthsign, he suggests, like Virgo or Leo. Their birthstones are diamonds and sapphires respectively, and see if the presents match up. If not, it’s back to the drawing board. But, once you’ve made contact, how far do you go? Do you say what you like and hope for the best or just grovel if you find yourself out of your financial depth? You can keep your end up, if you’re careful. If asked if you’ve got a

yacht, play safe and say “Not at the moment.” . If you haven’t got central heating, as he didn’t have in his five storey house, make it a plus by sleeping under a mink bedspread. David Shilling once turned up for an early morning interview wearing a full-length mink coat over his pyjamas. Luckily, it was radio, although he was a little put out that the interviewer didn’t even men- ’ tion his appearance. —Copyright, Duo