Not currently on display at the V&A

Dress Label

1900-1927 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

From the 1870s until the 1930s the label of Caroline Reboux (1837-1927) dominated Parisian millinery fashions. Caroline Reboux began her career as a penniless but talented young milliner. Her work was discovered and promoted by the fashionable Princess Metternich and in turn attracted the custom of the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. In later years the House of Reboux was run by the milliner Lucienne Rebate.

Reboux was known for her clean, simple style using fabrics such as satin, velvet and felt which were draped or cut with a minimum of added or fussy details. Feathers were a favourite embellishment. In the 1920s Reboux was highly regarded for her cloche style hats, which were often cut and formed on the client's head.

This woven label is cut in a circular shape in order to be inserted inside the crown of a hat, where it would form part of the lining. This was a practical method of labelling hats which ensured the labels would not catch or snag the wearer's hair.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Machine embroidered silk thread on silk
Brief description
Woven silk label for Caroline Reboux, Paris, 1900-1927
Physical description
A dress label for the milliner Caroline Reboux of gold coloured thread on white silk
Dimensions
  • Length: 16.0cm
Marks and inscriptions
Caroline Reboux / 23, Rue de la Paix / Paris (label; French)
Summary
From the 1870s until the 1930s the label of Caroline Reboux (1837-1927) dominated Parisian millinery fashions. Caroline Reboux began her career as a penniless but talented young milliner. Her work was discovered and promoted by the fashionable Princess Metternich and in turn attracted the custom of the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. In later years the House of Reboux was run by the milliner Lucienne Rebate.

Reboux was known for her clean, simple style using fabrics such as satin, velvet and felt which were draped or cut with a minimum of added or fussy details. Feathers were a favourite embellishment. In the 1920s Reboux was highly regarded for her cloche style hats, which were often cut and formed on the client's head.

This woven label is cut in a circular shape in order to be inserted inside the crown of a hat, where it would form part of the lining. This was a practical method of labelling hats which ensured the labels would not catch or snag the wearer's hair.
Collection
Accession number
T.31-2001

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Record createdJanuary 5, 2001
Record URL
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