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Hat
Madame Suzy - Enlarge image
Hat
- Place of origin:
Paris, France (made)
- Date:
ca. 1937-1939 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Madame Suzy (designer)
- Materials and Techniques:
Plaited raffia and silk
- Credit Line:
Given by Lady Glenconner
- Museum number:
T.62-1967
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This hat was designed by Madam Suzy, who first rose to prominence on the Parisian fashion scene in the 1920s. Suzy was known for her exotic hats and colour combinations. Her boutique at 5 rue de la Paix was an incredibly popular destination for both fashionable Parisiennes and visitors to the city, and was illustrated by Rene Bouche for the cover of British Vogue in May 1939. During the war Suzy designed hats for the American market. She closed her business in the 1950s.
The large red and white straw braids from which this hat is woven give an artisanal feel to the structure of the hat. The crown of the hat is cleverly sunken in but rises into a little point at the centre. The brim is heavily decorated with water lillies and the hat has a red veil with a large honeycomb pattern. Worn tilted forward on the head, this style of 'perch' hat was poular from the late 1930s and throughout the Second World War.
