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ABOUT US

Bringing to mind old New England families gathered on the beach with children and dogs, dinner with friends under star filled summer skies, and beautifully appointed homes that serve first and foremost as inviting oasises for family and friends, Peter Beaton is a Nantucket brand that celebrates people not so much for who they are, but how they live--with passion, generosity, and a captivating sense of style. Emblematic of people who are worldly yet down to earth, trendsetting yet timeless, and fearless rather than flawless, PB is a way of living rather than an evanescent fashion statement.  What began with straw hats that offered a chic alternative to high maintenance hair, has blossomed into a brand embraced by all those who value time gathered with family and friends, the liberation that comes from living in sync with our souls, and the joy of self expression through fashion, food, our homes and gardens. PB style is a delicious blend of affluence and ease. It's allure lies not only in being able to adeptly reinvent the classics, but in being able to stretch it’s well cultivated toes outside of the box and break the rules now and then.  PB style is inviting, captivating, and colorful--it is elegance and intrigue combined. Peter Beaton is more than a lifestyle brand--it’s a philosophy for living that nurtures, enriches, and celebrates the human spirit.

ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS

The Peter Beaton Signature Collection of hats and totes are made from finely braided leghorn straw. All of these hats are custom fitted, custom trimmed, and come in their own signature box. Unlike any other company, all Peter Beaton hats and totes are lock stitched, giving you a product that is unequivocally the best.  Because of the small quantities of this fine grade natural straw that can be extracted from the crops each year and the highly skilled labor that is required to braid it and then sew it into shape, all Peter Beaton hats, like the locations on Nantucket after which they are named, are treasures. 

 
The Peter Beaton Straight Wharf Collection celebrates classic, down to earth, coastal living. Reminiscent of times gone by, the store is brimming with sailor shirts in every color and size, recycled sail bags, rope bracelets, Nantucket burgees, wellington boots and umbrellas, and much, much, more.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN
 
After being unable to find the right hat to wear to a party back in 1989, Darcy Creech decorated a big brimmed panama hat with flowers, and took the party by storm. Newly divorced and brainstorming for a way to work from home so she could care for her one year old son, Darcy sold her engagement ring and bought hat making supplies. She then made a prototype hat to test market during Daffodil Weekend on Nantucket. Making her way into town wearing her newly minted creation, she had storekeepers enthralled, winks from near and far, and one particularly chic woman following her in and out of shops until finally asking, “Where did you get that hat!?” Darcy told her that she’d designed it herself, and that with her first order in hand, the hats would soon be available at Janet Russo's, a beautiful little boutique on Main Street. Next came an order from Bramhall and Dunn and Martha's Vineyard...where lo and behold, James Taylor came in and became one of her first customers.
 
Unwilling to succomb to the pressure to get a 'real job,' Darcy forged ahead. She  encountered one roadblock and nay-sayer after another, however, a true entrepreneur, she persisted. Slowly but surely she built a roster of clients that included Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus, Barney's, and Nordstrom.  The turning point came, when after reading a biography about Halston--who had acheived his notoriety by making Jacqueline Kennedy's pill box hat for the inauguration, Darcy sent a hat to First Lady elect Hillary Clinton. Enclosed with a hat was a simple note. A month later came an anonymous phone call from Little Rock.  After about 20 minutes on the phone discussing different options for winter hats, Darcy was told that she had been chosen to make Hillary Clintons inaugural hat.  When the news broke on inauguration day, a media frenzy followed.  Leveraging her newfound notoriety, she approached Hat Brands, the leading headwear company in the country and suggested they form a strategic alliance. Within 2 months, they struck a deal.
 
 Traditionally Darcy's trips to Nantucket for Daffodil Weekend had been "girls' weekends", but with horrible weather predicted in 1995 and the usual crew dragging their feet, Darcy decided to take her seven year-old son, Peter, instead. Proclaiming that Nantucket was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen and that they should move there--Darcy knew he was right. Before the weekend was over, she made an offer on a promising commercial/residential property in the heart of the historic district. The day before Peter started 2nd grade, they packed up their bags in CT and headed for Nantucket. That winter, while the property was being renovated, Darcy was tossing and turning over what to call her new company, when suddenly it became crystal clear. Peter Beaton--the first and middle name of Peter, her only son at the time. It was the perfect choice. If Peter hadn't been with her in Nantucket that weekend and suggested they move to Nantucket, she might have overlooked the opportunity of a lifetime. They opened The Peter Beaton Hat Studio in the spring of 1996--and the rest is history.