On display

Mask

Hat
1993 (made)
Artist/Maker
King, Kenneth D. (designer)
Place of origin
United States (made)

Made from beaded and feathered silk satin, this hat was designed and created by San Francisco milliner Kenneth D. King(born in Salinas, Kansas, 1958) in 1993. The designer was inspired by Beaux-Arts architecture and the Art Nouveau style. Respected for his attention to detail and appreciated for their extravagance, King's hats appealed to a wide array of performers, including Laura Branigan or Sir Elton John. Sir Elton John is King's most important collector - he owns over 100 pieces and wore one of these hats in the John Lewis holiday 2018 commercial (the hat appears at 00:30-00:34).

Object details

Categories
Hats & Headwear
Clothing
Fashion
Object type
Hat
TitleMask
Materials and techniques
Beaded silk satin and feathers
Brief description
Hat 'Mask' made of beaded silk satin and feathers, designed by Kenneth D. King, United States, 1993
Physical description
Hat made of beaded silk satin and feathers.
Dimensions
  • Maximum height height: 430mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
  • Maximum width width: 300mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
  • Depth: 105mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
Gallery label
(01/07/2023)
Hat trick

A fancy mask could help you blend in with a fashionable crowd… Except this mask is actually a hat. Maybe it will work best with a four-eyed crowd?

Mask hat
Made by Kenneth D. King
1993
USA
Given by the designer
Museum no. T.200-1997

[Young V&A, Imagine Gallery, Adventure, short object label]
Credit line
Given by the designer
Summary
Made from beaded and feathered silk satin, this hat was designed and created by San Francisco milliner Kenneth D. King(born in Salinas, Kansas, 1958) in 1993. The designer was inspired by Beaux-Arts architecture and the Art Nouveau style. Respected for his attention to detail and appreciated for their extravagance, King's hats appealed to a wide array of performers, including Laura Branigan or Sir Elton John. Sir Elton John is King's most important collector - he owns over 100 pieces and wore one of these hats in the John Lewis holiday 2018 commercial (the hat appears at 00:30-00:34).
Bibliographic reference
Blum, Dilys, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. 1993. Ahead of Fashion : Hats of the 20th Century. Bulletin / Philadelphia Museum of Art, V. 89, No. 377-378. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.200-1997

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O329485/mask-hat-king-kenneth-d/
Download as: JSON