Cocktail Hat
ca. 1960 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
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 | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Silk satin and tassels on plastic |
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 type | Haute couture |
Marks and inscriptions | 'BALENCIAGA' (Label on underside of headdress) |
Gallery label | ‘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(27/05/2017-07/02/2018) |
Credit line | Given anonymously |
Collection | |
Accession number | T.356-1997 |
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Record created | April 14, 2008 |
Record URL |
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