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A Manufacturer Paris, France

Hat - Pierre Balmain, Sailor Type, Black with Black Felt Insert, pre 1982 Reg. No: HT 751

Summary:: Black large sailor type hat of very fine paribuntal straw. Made by Pierre Balmain (1914-1982), and labelled 'Chapeaux' ('hats' in French).

Part of a collection of hats ordered and worn by Lorna Waller (1912-1997), an artist and aesthete. The collection represented the avant-garde of fashion in 1940s Melbourne. Some of the hats were made locally, and some were imported.

Millinery styles varied enormously between the late 1930s and the early 1950s. In the late 1930s, Salvador Dali and other Surrealists had a dynamic impact on the range of hat shapes. The onset of World War II resulted in a shortage of materials to make hats, so trimmings were used to create an upbeat mood in the face of hardship. Towards the end of the War, restraint was the key look, and the turban was again popular. Later, gaiety prevailed and, with it, feathers were back.

Born in New Zealand, Lorna travelled overseas when young and settled in Melbourne. While at the National Gallery School in the mid-1930s, she took up with her teacher, the artist Napier Waller. They did not marry until 1954, when his first wife died. An independent income enabled Lorna to maintain an apartment in Spring Street, decorated in a bohemian style. The leopard skin prints and slacks she once wore to the Lyceum Clu proved too much for conservative Melbourne: she was told to go home and change.
Description:: Black large sailor type hat. Very fine paribuntal straw. Self coloured velour strip inserted on side. Rolled wire brim. Crown detached with a tuck in crown to enable hat to be worn at an angle. Crown and brim reattached.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Ms Anthea Mereweather, 2001

Discipline:	History
Dimensions:	18.00 cm (Height), 45.00 cm (Width)

More information

Tagged with:	fashion, fashion design, millinery
Themes this item is part of:	Clothing & Textiles Collection, Domestic & Community Life Collection
Primary Classification:	CLOTHING
Secondary Classification:	Female
Tertiary Classification:	headwear
Inscriptions:	Text on tag: CHAPEAUX/PIERRE BALMAIN/PARIS/MADE IN FRANCE.
Manufacturer:	Pierre Balmain, Paris, France, before 1982 Milliner Pierre Balmain died in 1982.
User (Probable):	Lorna Waller
References:	Text regarding Lorna Waller and history of millinery drawn from exhbiition label draft in sup-file, dated 22/10/2002.