Hat thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Hat

ca. 1955 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This boldly coloured pink and green taffeta hat is a licensed Schiaparelli design from the 1950s.

In the late 1940s Elsa Schiaparelli struck a number of licensing agreements with America to manufacture hats, scarves, neckties, sunglasses, hosiery, lingerie, other fashion accessories, furs, and simple clothing under her name. They would have been sold through high-end American department stores. Most of the licensing agreements continued after Schiaparelli's Paris couture house closed in 1954, until her death in 1973. The hosiery and hat ranges were particularly successful, with Schiaparelli label hats being made through the 1960s.

Whilst this hat may not have been designed by Schiaparelli herself, its vibrant colours and sense of drama are typical of her style.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Ruched silk taffeta
Brief description
Small close hat, beret style, made from ruched silk taffeta, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli, France, ca. 1955
Physical description
Small close hat, beret style, made from silk taffeta in emerald green, fuchsia and sugar-pink. The edge is sculpturally gathered and ruched.
Production typeReady to wear
Credit line
Given by Mrs Ruth Walton
Object history
Registered File number 1990/1646.
Summary
This boldly coloured pink and green taffeta hat is a licensed Schiaparelli design from the 1950s.

In the late 1940s Elsa Schiaparelli struck a number of licensing agreements with America to manufacture hats, scarves, neckties, sunglasses, hosiery, lingerie, other fashion accessories, furs, and simple clothing under her name. They would have been sold through high-end American department stores. Most of the licensing agreements continued after Schiaparelli's Paris couture house closed in 1954, until her death in 1973. The hosiery and hat ranges were particularly successful, with Schiaparelli label hats being made through the 1960s.

Whilst this hat may not have been designed by Schiaparelli herself, its vibrant colours and sense of drama are typical of her style.
Collection
Accession number
T.284-1991

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Record createdApril 9, 2009
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