Hat and Hat Pin
ca. 1950 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre) was the wife of the Naval Attaché to Paris. She required an extensive wardrobe for the many formal dinners and state functions that she had to attend, and no outfit was complete without the appropriate accessories such as hats and gloves.
Lady Alexandra dressed exclusively at Jacques Fath. The designer lent her evening and day dresses each season, aware of the publicity that this would give his house. 'If there was a Fath dress I wanted to keep, I could pay sale price at the end of the season. I was not allowed to go to any other couturier, but I did not want to - Fath was perfection.'
This hat is very typical of its time, when small but elaborate hats were worn to cocktail parties or restaurants.
Lady Alexandra dressed exclusively at Jacques Fath. The designer lent her evening and day dresses each season, aware of the publicity that this would give his house. 'If there was a Fath dress I wanted to keep, I could pay sale price at the end of the season. I was not allowed to go to any other couturier, but I did not want to - Fath was perfection.'
This hat is very typical of its time, when small but elaborate hats were worn to cocktail parties or restaurants.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Cotton and paper on net, supported by wire and net |
| Brief description | Hat of net, cotton and paper, with hat pin, made by Svend for Jacques Fath, Paris, ca. 1950 |
| Physical description | Hat of white net with sprays of artificial flowers in cotton and paper, and small plant shoots in white, pink, green and lavender. It has a wire frame with a net base, and a maroon net veil attached to the sides, covering the flowers at the front. Worn with hat pin approximately 4.125 inches long with a small bobble of white net. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Jacques Fath / Paris' (Label, machine woven, black and white) |
| Credit line | Given by Lady Alexandra Trevor-Roper |
| Historical context | Lady Alexandra Trevor-Roper favoured Fath for her wardrobe, and contributed the large portion of the V&A's Fath collection. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | Lady Alexandra Howard-Johnston (later Lady Dacre) was the wife of the Naval Attaché to Paris. She required an extensive wardrobe for the many formal dinners and state functions that she had to attend, and no outfit was complete without the appropriate accessories such as hats and gloves. Lady Alexandra dressed exclusively at Jacques Fath. The designer lent her evening and day dresses each season, aware of the publicity that this would give his house. 'If there was a Fath dress I wanted to keep, I could pay sale price at the end of the season. I was not allowed to go to any other couturier, but I did not want to - Fath was perfection.' This hat is very typical of its time, when small but elaborate hats were worn to cocktail parties or restaurants. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.191&A-1974 |
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| Record created | January 12, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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