Hat
ca. 1962 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
White leather hat, dome shaped with the brim graduated to the back.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Leather |
| Brief description | Domed shaped leather hat, designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, ca. 1962 |
| Physical description | White leather hat, dome shaped with the brim graduated to the back. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'BALENCIAGA, 10 Avenue George V, Paris' (Label) |
| 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.
STYLE ICON
This hat belonged to the supremely elegant Gloria Guinness, a wealthy Balenciaga client who was frequently named on the International Best Dressed List. Contributing editor to Harper’s Bazaar from 1963 to 1971, she was one of Balenciaga’s muses, as well as a discerning and loyal customer. Balenciaga was strict about how his clothes were to be worn. He intended this pillbox hat – a style that he became known for – to be worn further forward. Gloria Guinness, confident in her own sense of style, wore hers pushed back behind the ears.
Pillbox hat
Leather
Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris,
About 1962
Given by Mrs Loel Guinness
V&A: T.64-1974(27/05/2017-07/02/2018) |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Loel Guinness |
| Object history | Worn and given by Gloria Guinness |
| Historical context | Gloria Guinness (nee Gloria Rubio y Alatorre, 1912-1980) was an elegant socialite and writer of the mid 20th century. Her third husband, whom she married in 1951, was Group Capt. Thomas Loel Guinness, a Member of Parliament (died 1989) and an heir to the Guinness beer fortune. She was voted 'Best Dressed Woman' in the world by Time magazine in 1962 behind Jackie Kennedy in first place. (See Time magazine Jan 26 1962) She owned seven homes, with a full wardrobe in each so that she would never have to pack or wait at customs. She spread her patronage widely, and amongst donations to the V&A of pieces by Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy etc., are pieces by lesser known couturiers such as Chaumont and Lafaurie. |
| Associations | |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.64-1974 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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