Not on display

Cocktail Hat

ca. 1960 (made)
Artist/Maker
Balenciaga, Cristóbal (designer)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

Small puffball headdress made in black silk satin, stiffened, and trimmed with a tassel of long bobbled cords. Attached to a plastic hair-comb.

Object details

Categories
Fashion
Accessories
Hats & Headwear
Evening Wear
Formal Wear
Clothing
Object type
Cocktail hat
Materials and techniques
Silk satin and tassels on plastic
Plastic
Silk (Textile)
Satin Weave
Brief description
Small puffball headdress made in silk satin, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, ca. 1960
Physical description
Small puffball headdress made in black silk satin, stiffened, and trimmed with a tassel of long bobbled cords. Attached to a plastic hair-comb.
Production typeHaute couture
Marks and inscriptions
'BALENCIAGA' (Label on underside of headdress)
Gallery label
(27/05/2017-07/02/2018)
‘Balenciaga’s hats are an integral part of his fashion,’ reported the French fashion review Jardin des modes in 1961. They ensure ‘that volumes are balanced and the silhouette is perfectly finished off.’ Fairly conventional ensembles were often paired with a striking hat which lifted the whole look and made it appear more avant-garde. The client could buy the whole ensemble or leave the hat if it was too daring. The designs for hats were as fiercely protected as those for dresses. The police commissioner stamped the official sketches of the hats to protect them from being copied.

Beaded cocktail headdress
Silk satin and tassels on plastic
Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, about 1960
V&A: T.356-1997
Credit line
Given anonymously
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.356-1997

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Record createdApril 14, 2008
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O152645/cocktail-hat-balenciaga-cristóbal/
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