Balel, the hatmaker who overshadows Philip Treacy: "The hatmaker has to be expensive, if not, it is not well made"

"Everything round is expensive", says Isabel Terroso, the milliner who, from her workshop in the central Claudio Coello street in Madrid, overshadows the great masters of millinery, Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. But her pieces, handmade and exclusive to her, are not so expensive if the hours of work, the highest quality materials and the result are weighed: authentic works of art that some of her clients even exhibit in showcases.

Her first job was for Dior, thanks to what she, an engineer, defines as "a complete coincidence of life." After seven years working in the military shipbuilding sector, Isabel donned the world for a montera, one of the headdresses that she most claims for at the moment, and she decided to take a radical turn. He didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew that this was not his thing, so he asked for a leave of absence that changed everything.

But how do you go from naval engineering to luxury millinery? "It's a world that has a lot of architecture, engineering...", he explains, and that she always liked for herself. "There were millions of bags and shoes, but no hats." So he decided to take a basic headgear course, for fun, from which a leaf-shaped beret emerged. His first job and the origin of Balel.

He went for a walk with her and was stopped by a lady. "Where did you buy that beret? I come from London looking for something that I can't find," he recalls. Isabel then worked in her kitchen, between the washer and dryer, using the ceramic hob when she needed more space. But her interlocutor worked for Dior, and the firm began to order pieces from her. Also for Chanel.

"They asked me for specific headdresses for their clients. I would take my things, put them in a hatbox and go there"... Until they encouraged her to open her own atelier, after passing all the 'exams' with note. And she came up with Balel, her 1940s-style sewing atelier, which owes her name to the way she scribbled her name when she was little.

Recovering glamour

For Balel, who learned from the person who made Valle-Inclán's hats, this piece makes all the difference. "My grandfather always wore it, in fact I have it saved. And I also remember my grandmother: when I saw her put on the needle, she entered another dimension. Hats are magical, there is something about it that attracts a lot of attention, in whoever wears it wear it and whoever sees you, when you're touched they treat you differently. A different courtesy and kindness emerges, which is lacking today. Doors you didn't think open to you. One hat makes the other more of a gentleman and you more lady".

That is why he wants to claim it as an everyday piece, along with a coat or a suit jacket. "It gives you a class that you need to recover," he explains, "they are basic pieces that completely change a wardrobe and that empower: if it's the right one, the person will come out on top, like a Hollywood diva, if not, they will be uncomfortable, like with some bad shoes". Because the lack of quality and good taste is also doing a lot of damage: "the line between wearing something correct and making a fool of yourself is very thin," he warns.

How to wear a hat

Who wears a hat well today? Who can we be inspired by?

Kate Middleton is the queen of millinery, he takes them very well. In general, you have to look at the English. Camila Parker Bowles also chooses them very well, she knows how to play with them to take advantage, she wears spectacular pieces that make you forget about everything else. And the Queen of England has made a character with a hat. And Lady Di's niece, Kitty Spencer, who wears petite shapes that enhance her beauty.

How do you put on a hat right?

At the eyebrow and fallen forward. Although the way to wear it depends on your personality, I see many hats that are very poorly placed, backwards and that reveal the hairline. That doesn't help. A hat tilted slightly forward indicates a sophisticated personality.

And what should never be done, the big mistake when wearing a hat?

The first thing to take into account is height and that the wings should never exceed the size of the shoulders. It is better for a short person to choose wings up, that let them see, otherwise they will be very uncomfortable. And it is convenient to keep a clear face. With very curly hair, you should not wear something very close to the head either. In general, hair that is not intended for headgear is worn.

If you had to choose a hat for your wardrobe, what would it be?

The fedora, which allows you to go to a wedding as well as for a walk. You can add many details depending on what you want it for, and change the curvature of the brim to give it a different shape every day. It is the female version of a male hat. The berets are also a wardrobe staple.

And which one is the most suitable for a shy person or someone who is new to covering the head?

A simple, clean hat with basic lines. The first thing is to find a way with which you feel favored. The most important thing is to prevent the person from going 'under a hat'.

A hat for every occasion

In his workshop there are headdresses and hats from 500 to 3,000 euros, the price that implies a unique, exclusive type of work, although in Spain it is difficult to make it understandable. "It seems that in the head it is not worth investing, but it is a mistake, because the headgear has to be expensive, if not, it is not well made," he insists.

She never works with wool felt, only with beaver hair, an "ancient, top quality, waterproof and wrinkle-resistant material, with which coachmen's capes were made in 1800 in Madrid", explains to us.

It is the first thing that makes the difference. But not only, also the centuries-old lasts and techniques used. The first ones, very difficult to find, are obtained in antique dealers or ordered from luthiers. "I like clean and refined lines, I'm not a big fan of putting four feathers and three bows in the Philip Treacy style. He is a number one in technique, but his style has been copied over and over again. We need quality hats with own style," he says.

Who are your sources of inspiration?

Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, María Callas... The classic does not have to be boring, it can be reinvented, and there are shapes that are devastating . Now glamor is missing.

Balel avoids talking about trends and defends "elegance and sophistication", two concepts in which the montera, her latest passion, fits undeniably. "I see her in a jacket suit, with a Dior or Chanel dress, she should not be pigeonholed in the typical flamenco dress. My dream is to see Rosalía with her on a red carpet," she says. At the moment, his monteras are triumphant in Japan and Paris, "because the French ones are pure sophistication."

They are not her only international references, many of her best clients come to her atelier from Moscow, Los Angeles, London... "I also have many clients with cancer. When they put on a good turban, it even changes their posture, they come back to be empowered."

How do you see the future, what are your plans?

I have so many... My dream is to have a store on avenue Montaigne in Paris. I would like to find the financial support necessary for this, a patron to help me open doors, so that I can dedicate myself solely to making hats.

And another dream, he confesses: to see with one of her headdresses to Queen Letizia, "who but a queen can dress like a queen?".

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