It’s obvious that Diana Cavagnaro has a passion for hats, and not just because she’s always seen wearing one. When talking about millinery’s history or her own line — Designer Millinery — she lights up. “I just love wearing hats,” she said in her Gaslamp Quarter loft that doubles as a work space. Cavagnaro has worked in millinery since 1981, learning the trade as an assistant in the Old Globe Theater’s millinery department before she earned her degree in fashion at Mesa College. Her downtown business has earned national recognition after she created a well-publicized hat for Morgan Fairchild during her days on the sitcom “Fashion House” and also a hat for Oprah Winfrey. Even with national exposure, Cavagnaro’s biggest day of the year is the opening day at the Del Mar races. The local event has the designer prepping months ahead of time. “Most people want the hat first and then they go out and buy the dress because [the hat] is the focal point,” she said. “I always call [opening day] the biggest fashion show of the year.” Cavagnaro has fitted some of San Diego celebrities for the annual summer event, including Aloha Taylor and Kimberly Hunt. Unlike department store finds, all of Cavagnaro’s hats are fitted to perfection. For someone with a head size “a bit larger” than most, there is some personal appeal to making such specialized garments. “Anyone that has a head size that’s larger or smaller gets so excited that they can come here and I can make a hat that fits their head,” she said. After just a few measurements and about seven hours, a Designer Millinery creation is ready to wear. She attributes her current success to young women, especially those that take her hat making classes at Mesa College. “It’s really changed [since the ‘80s] because the younger generation loves to wear hats,” she said. Her expanding business is expected to grow with a line of golf hats and a store in Los Angeles. Hats in every shape and size line the walls of her small showroom and workplace. Large brimmed hats sit atop faceless mannequins while accessories fill a brightly-lit glass display case. The six hat styles she keeps in rotation, aside from special orders, are made more unique by the material. In the past, she has used mens’ ties, a potato burlap sack and vintage ribbons. “I love to repurpose things and like to use vintage supplies so that when I put something together it makes it one of a kind,” she said. It isn’t easy to forget one of Cavagnaro’s hats. “Everybody has their own style and personality,” she said, a trait she translates into each design, making a Cavagnaro hat a work of art. Just as obvious as her devotion to millinery is her volunteer work. Cavagnaro donates her time and skills to cancer patients with the Look Good, Feel Better program, teaching cancer patients to tie head scarves and wear hats. “It’s wonderful to help the less fortunate,” she said. She was recognized for her work in 2003 when Look Good, Feel Better honored her with the California Division Sunrise Award.