Chapeaux De Madeleine
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127-47 Clarence St, Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1
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Meet the owner

Madeleine Cormier, owner of Chapeaux de Madeleine, grew up in a big, close-knit family in New Brunswick. “My mother had seven sisters,” she recalls. “They all did something artistic.” It was Madeleine’s aunt Simone, though, who influenced her career. “My aunt was a milliner in the 1940s and ’50s,” Madeleine explains. “She reminded me of Coco Chanel.”

After high school, Madeleine studied haute couture at École Cotnoir-Capponi in Montreal. “I learned pattern-making, draping and sewing,” she adds. After graduation, she took specialized courses with a milliner, and her aunt often gave her advice to face challenges. “She always said, ‘It’s simpler than you think. Don’t dramatize and complicate things,’” Madeleine recalls fondly. “I think that’s a big part of life.”

Madeleine met her future husband in Montreal, and they moved to Ottawa in the early 1980s. She worked at the Ottawa airport but her real passion blossomed after hours. “I started to make hats at home and sold them at markets on the weekend,” she recalls. “I realized that people were interested in what I did. I got TV interviews and people started to call.”

Madeleine’s home business became so successful that in 1995 she opened a store in the ByWard Market, devoting her efforts to hat-making full-time. “Everybody who comes to Ottawa comes to the ByWard Market,” she points out. Madeleine watched the area expand from a quiet artsy enclave of little boutiques to a bustling area with excellent restaurants and nightlife. “There is a greater mix of people now. And a younger generation who want their identity and are into fashion,” she says.

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    The friendly service was excellent. Madeleine took the time to let me discuss what I was looking for, she took head measurements, let me try on various styles and the end result was absolutely fabulous! I definitely would have her make more hats for me and I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending her to my friends. Pat G.

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