Milliner describes joy of seeing Rita Ora in design

A milliner has described her excitement at seeing Rita Ora wear one of her ostrich feather hats to the Vanity Fair Oscars Party.

The singer-songwriter posed for photographers wearing the design at the after-show party following the 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Rose Collins from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, said that "seeing Rita Ora wearing that hat at the Oscars Vanity Fair Party, was just wow, wow, wow".

"I am just so numb from excitement. I just can't believe it. I keep looking at the pictures and thinking, 'Wow, did I really do that?'," she added.

Collins said the first she knew about one of her hats reaching Hollywood was on Monday when she saw her design in the news coverage of the event, adding it was a "total surprise".

In January, four of her ostrich feather hats, including the black version that Ora wore, were included in the Tamara Ralph collection during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in January.

Collins was commissioned to craft the headpieces to complement the Australian fashion designer's collection of women's couture clothing for spring and summer.

Collins encountered millinery by chance about 12 years ago, when researching ways to revive damaged hats for her bridal boutique in Zimbabwe, where she was born.

She now works from studios at Grandey's Place near Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, alongside a community of other talented artists and makers.

She praised her colleagues who helped to make the luxury hats in the run up to Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week while she was recovering from a cancer diagnosis and operation.

"[I'm] just so happy and so grateful and so thankful especially at this time of my life, you know when you just feel the world is working against you that this success has come. It just brightens your world," she said.

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