If you seek just one accessory that screams Williamsburg summer 2015, make it these delicate yet regal antler headbands by Epona Valley.
The Williamsburg-based brand specializing in whimsical, nature-inspired headpieces is the creation of Rachel Gittler, who got her start in head-piece making by chance. It was New York Fashion Week a couple of years ago, and the then-actress attended a Marc Jacobs show wearing an avian headpiece she’d made herself. The New York Times‘ Bill Cunningham snapped her photo.
“It was one of those feelings of the universe telling me, ‘This is what you should be doing,” Ms. Gittler told the Observer.
In addition to nature, Ms. Gittler draws from an endless well of inspiration. She loves vaudeville, old Hollywood and ancient Rome. She once designed a line of crystal crowns based on 1970s bracelets from the Czech Republic. And then there are the ideas that come to her in sleep.
“I’ve even had ideas in dreams where I’m like, ‘It’s possible to put that on your head,’” Ms. Gittler mused.
As for the antlers—available for $98 on Epona Valley’s site—Ms. Gittler envisions a variety of ways one might sport them. For a dressy event, you could wear it in gold and have it be the main piece, she suggested. “Or you can wear it in silver with a lot of turquoise jewelry and have it be a day look,” she said.
“You have to not be afraid to make a little bit of a statement,” Ms. Gittler said. “It’s not every day you can see antlers on someone’s head.”
