Hat

PeriodCirca 1960

Place MadeNew York, New York, U.S.A.

MediumSynthetic fur, acetate satin

Dimensions7 × 8.5 in. (17.8 × 21.6 cm)

ClassificationsCostume, Women's

Credit LineMuseum Collection

Object number2021.500

DescriptionA woman's turban style hat with a low domed crown and rounded brimless edge. The hat's oyster white synthetic fur exterior drapes over a stiff inner form, with a black synthetic silk lining. A wide two-inch oyster white grosgrain ribbon forms a bow at the center forehead. A band of ribbon runs from the bow aross the entire top of the hat to the back center. A woven synthetic silk label is hand sewn to the back inside nape of the hat, reading "Dachettes / Designed by Lily Dache."
Curatorial RemarksAt the peak of her career, Lily Dache designed some of the most sought-after women's hats for fashion-conscious American consumers. Although there is some question as to where Dache was born (some records seem to indicate either Poland or France), Lily emigrated to the United States at the age of about 21 in 1919. She found work as a hat clerk in Macy's. In 1924, she began working at a small Upper West side hat store called the Bonnet Shop, and later that year purchased the business. By 1937, Dache had become so successful that she was able to move her entire business to a building on Esat 56th street. She favored turbans, berets, caps, snoods, and used both bold form and surprising trims (some of her hats were entirely covered with artificial flowers). Even during the Great Depression, Dache was successful, charging $20 or more for a hat at a time when headgear could be purchased from a Sears catalogue for $5. By the 1940s, Dache had added perfume, costume jewelry, and other fashion accessories to her line. Numerous Hollywood stars wore her designs. When Dache retired in 1968, movie star Loretta Young purchased the designer's last thirty hats. Dache created a persona that attracted attention, and was even the mystery guest in a 1955 episode of "What's My Line?" Lily Dache died in France in 1989 at the age of 91.

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