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Cynthia
Lundeen
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Speaker
and Designer |
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About
Cynthia
Do you long for a quiet, unhurried moment in the company of friends?
Welcome to Cynthia's Centuries of Style, where lush bows grow
on trees, flowers bloom from velvets, satins and chiffons and
hats of enduring beauty await the opportunity to grace and enhance
a lady's lovely countenance.
Professional Speaker and Designer, Cynthia Lundeen, has been
captivating audiences with her gracious and delightful signature
program, "The Art of Wearing Fine Millinery" as well
as many customized programs based upon the genteel art of hat
wearing.
Whether you are hopelessly romantic, supremely sophisticated,
efficient and businesslike or a combination of many moods, there
is a program to suit your personality and to make your event successful
and memorable.
With an exceptional range, Cynthia can relate hats to the interests
of many organizations. While ideally suited to historical societies,
art museums, cultural institutions, ladies' groups, afternoon
teas, literary societies, country club and fund-raising events,
Cynthia has also made unexpected connections, creating business
oriented programs and a program for dog lovers. The business oriented
programs can serve to inject light heartedness and humor when
included in seminars with otherwise serious subject matter.
Through customization, she can create a program to fit your needs,
whether lush and lavish or with a budget in mind.
Cynthia is a past first prize winner of the Kentucky Derby Hat
Contest at Churchill Downs and her original hat designs have also
appeared on American Greetings birthday cards. As owner of Cynthia’s
Centuries of Style, she is dedicated to the creation of fine millinery
and bridal headpieces for women and fine hats for gentlemen. With
an emphasis on custom creations for private clients, Cynthia’s
creations have also been shown at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman
Marcus. Her background includes a Bachelor of Science, having
graduated summa cum laude, and a passion for the arts, which led
her to fashion school where she earned a 4.0 in the millinery
program. She is also past Regional Director for the Cleveland
Chapter of The Fashion Group International.
Cynthia has been the invited guest speaker for numerous organizations
on the topic of millinery and fashion, including The Cleveland
Museum of Art, The Western Reserve Historical Society, Lawnfield,
The President James A. Garfield National Historic Site, The College
Club of Cleveland, the Cleveland Opera League, The Columbus Cultural
Arts Center, among others. Her millinery designs and presentations
have been the subject of numerous feature articles in various
publications, including The Plain Dealer, Ohio's largest newspaper
and Currents, the society newspaper.
Reviews
and Expressions of Thanks:
"Her repartee was lively, humorous and informative as
she advised, "A hat should enhance, not hide, a woman's beauty."
-Currents
"It was when she learned millinery, or hat making, that
Lundeen found her calling…. But it's Lundeen's philosophy
about sophistication and romance that makes it art."
-The Plain Dealer
"We received many complimentary remarks about your
program…thank you for helping to make our fundraiser a big
success!
-William L. Bird, Executive Director
Lorain County Historical Society
"What a marvelous program! Several members have called
and written to tell me how delighted they were and how much fun
they had…people have inquired about similar programs for
their groups. You were wonderful."
-Pat Fernberg, Program Chair
Jane Austen Society of North America, North Coast Chapter
"Thank you so very much for a wonderful presentation
and a splendid fashion show. Your passion, enthusiasm and sense
of humor were all greatly appreciated.
-Deirdre Vodanoff
The Cleveland Museum of Art
"You presented a beautiful and informative program
that educated and entertained. You helped widen our museum audience…
and brought media coverage to the event and the collection…
we wish to extend a deep and heartfelt thank you for a wonderful
and successful program."
-Sue Berry, Curator of Costumes and Textiles
The Western Reserve Historical Society
"Your presentation to our Guild was interesting and
exhilarating!"
-Grace Yamamoto
Fairmount Guild, Presbyterian Women
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Programs
Choose from one of the following entertaining and informative
programs, or request a customized program created especially with
you and your organization in mind.
The Art of Wearing Fine Millinery
Have you ever wondered what happened to the world of
gallant gentlemen sporting top hats, fedoras, bowlers and boaters?
Mysterious ladies in fine millinery with exquisite veiling seem
now only to exist in the shadow of memory or a favorite photograph.
Yet there is no article of apparel more powerful than the hat
to transform us or transport us, to delight us or enchant us.
"The Art of Wearing Fine Millinery" includes a presentation
of striking visuals gathered from historic source materials with
commentary both informative and humorous, as well as live modeling
of Cynthia's couture millinery creations. The program reveals
that anyone can wear a hat, once a few secrets are learned to
choose a hat that is just right for you.
Whether you are hopelessly romantic, supremely sophisticated,
efficient and businesslike, or a combination of many moods, there
is a hat to suit your style, flatter your face and express your
personality.
Come, journey through Cynthia's Centuries of Style, immerse yourself
in the experience and emerge transformed, not as someone else,
but as a more complete, expressive and beautiful you.
The Victorian Woman's Guide to Business and Millinery
Style Show
While a surprise to many, the Victorian Age heralded
the entrance of women into the world of business and entrepreneurship.
This was particularly evident in the delightful field of millinery.
From historic millinery trade journals and other sources, millinery
designer Cynthia Lundeen of Cynthia's Centuries of Style, will
show that Victorian business women faced the same issues as business
women today. Learn how Victorian women addressed issues of time
management, interest rates, financing, dealing with suppliers,
training staff, conduct of a woman in a "man's world"
as well as the Victorian concept of "dressing for success."
Learn also how millinery propelled the great designer Coco Chanel
(of Chanel No. 5 perfume fame) into a household name still known
today for taste and quality. The presentation will be followed
by a Millinery Fashion Show of Cynthia's couture creations spanning
the Victorian Age to the present time.
Hats to Wear While Walking Your Dog
This program reveals a most astonishing secret. It seems
that man's best friend, has also long been woman's best friend,
and is a great arbiter of taste and style.
While most people are familiar with "working dogs"
as sheep herders, guard dogs and seeing eye or service dogs, millinery
designer Cynthia Lundeen has stumbled upon a treasure trove of
images depicting our canine companions working successfully in
the fashion industry as designers, stylists, advisers, quality
control and marketing experts.
The charming and amusing visuals are shown through a PowerPoint
presentation, followed by live modeling of Cynthia's couture millinery
creations, showing that everyone can experience the joy of wearing
a hat while walking their dogs.
Hats in the Time of Jane Austen
Jane Austen, whose novels of social satire, comedy of
manners and insight into the human condition have made her one
of the best loved authors of all times. Her observations and commentary
extended to the fashions of the day and this program explores
the exquisite and varied hats and bonnets influenced by the political
climate of her time. While she was British, the effects of the
French Revolution and Napoleonic Era reverberated throughout Europe,
and though the times were tumultuous, the hats were beautiful.
A presentation of visuals from Jane Austen's lifetime, 1775 through
1817, depicts a stunning array of hats, including wide brimmed
picture hats, sumptuous turbans with feathers and charming bonnets.
The presentation is followed by a fashion show of original couture
hats designed by Cynthia in the styles described, each lovingly
created by hand and finely finished using time honored millinery
techniques.
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Cynthia
quoted in the Media:
"Women have worn headdresses for thousands of years, going
back to the Egyptians and Romans. It's only in the last few decades
that we've forgotten that."
-The Tribune
"…women in the 1940s were portrayed as being both
chic and intelligent. Because of the war, women were in very
responsible jobs. These women were about brains and style."
-The Plain Dealer
"Too often, when it comes to fashion, women think they
only have a choice between boring and ridiculous, but there
is a stylish alternative. A hat is like a nice piece of jewelry
- it serves to adorn."
-The Plain Dealer
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