The Magic of Colour: Bring Soul and Fire to Your Autumn Hats

The magic of colour: bring soul and fire to your autumn hats

Ever notice how the colours you loved to wear just a couple of months ago suddenly lose their appeal? As the seasons change and the sun sinks lower in the sky, our perception of colour transforms completely.

And guess what part of your wardrobe is most sensitive to this change in light? You guessed it — your HAT! Hats draw attention; they frame the face, and their colour influences our entire appearance.

If you’re choosing the colour for your next hat, here’s a little advice. The tones that suited you under the bright summer sun often lose their charm in the softer light of autumn and winter. Now is the time to move away from simple, straightforward colours and embrace richer, more complex shades. If you make your own felt, the magic is in mixing your own colours from different fibres.

Inspired by the seasons, I love experimenting with colours and inventing my own combinations. You can do the same! Here are three examples to inspire you and get you in the mood for playing with colour.

Here are my favourite hat colours for this autumn.

Rusty Orange – the Taste of Autumn Warmth

My all-time favourite — rusty orange — is created by blending bright orange fibres with deep burgundy and subtle purplish tones, merging into a warm, glowing, harmonious colour.

Sometimes, the orange takes the lead, glowing softly like late-afternoon sunlight. Other times, I let the darker hues rise to the surface, and the colour deepens into a fiery, burnished orange — rich, warm, and full of life.

When I look at this shade, I can almost taste it: like biting into a ripe fig, soft and sweet with a touch of spice. It’s the colour of an autumn sunset by the sea — vibrant orange dissolving softly into a glowing purple haze.

Blushing green

Merging two colours that sit on almost opposite ends of the colour wheel is never easy. But nature does it so effortlessly — just look at a leaf turning from green to red! So I thought I’d give it a try, too.

The secret is balance: let one colour lead, while the other appears only as a whisper, a gentle presence that enriches rather than competes.

And by the way, you know what’s wonderful about being a felt maker?

We’re free from the limits of ready-made colours — and even without dyes, we can create hues that are entirely our own. Creating hats from handmade felt offers a rare gift — the freedom to blend fibres into rich, luminous colours. The resulting shades bring depth, flatter the face, and can elevate even the simplest design into something remarkable.

Clay Sage

When I look at this colour, I can almost smell the clay and the earthy aroma of sage. For me, this colour is a meeting of warmth and calm. It’s a gentle dialogue between muted greens and natural clay tones, grounded and quiet.

It’s a soothing, balanced colour. Humble at first glance, but full of life and freshness when the light touches it. Clay Sage brings harmony to a palette, it is cool and warm at the same time — a perfect companion to autumn’s deeper tones.

By the way, these colours don’t exist in the “Big Book of Colours”. You won’t find them among the “official” seasonal trends. Instead, they’re inspired by what I see and feel around me — the landscape where I live, the subtle shifts in light and air, the way autumn slowly transforms the colours around me.

I hope these colours inspire you to create your own unique combinations and beautiful hats this winter. Don’t hesitate to explore bold combinations — felting is wonderfully forgiving, and wool fibres often blend into unexpected harmonies. Stepping beyond your “colour comfort zone” may lead to amazing discoveries — perhaps even your signature shade.

And if you’d love a little guidance and a spark of inspiration, join me for the

‘Spark Your Hats With Colour’–a creative challenge

starting on November 15.

Ready to give your hats that irresistible magic touch?

The right colours can turn any design into a showstopper. Join me to discover how to make your creations truly magnetic!

Because when colour and felt meet imagination, magic happens.

Zsófia xx