La Cerise sur le Chapeau as seen by Tessa

Foreword

I can't remember a childhood photo where Cerise's cheerful hats weren't on my sisters' and my heads.

The first time I walked into my aunt's workshop on rue Cassette, I was a baby barely walking. I was probably accompanying my grandmother Coline to buy a hat, or my mom.

I remember it wasn't the kind of annoying store I was usually taken to and not allowed to touch anything. There were big rolls with lots of colors of ribbons I could unfold, colors everywhere, and best of all, there was Cerise!

From my stroller, I could watch her bustling around her workshop advising customers. She'd show them her hats and have them try on the craziest colors.

I tried on everything I could get my hands on: big hats, little hats, straw hats, felt hats, unfinished hats, hats still steaming from the mold... in short, it was a memorable moment for a little girl like me!

As I grew up and spent time with her, I discovered Cerise.

What's remarkable about her is that she's full of joy, happiness and dynamism every day. She's there to put a thousand and one colors in everyone's eyes.

Cerise also knows how to observe the elements around her. She doesn't just see within the limits of the visible world, what interests her or what concerns her; she sees in the broadest sense of the word and looks at everything, nothing escapes her. She has a sense of detail and creation like no one else, and above all an unstoppable intuition.