Hat

Elsa Schiaparelli

fall 1939 · silk, straw, horsehair · Costume Institute

Schiaparelli often took traditional materials and forms and added her own chic twists. Here, she executes the sailor form in horsehair, traditionally a stiffener not seen on the outside of the garment or accessory and unusual straw net, creating sharp, stylish chapeaux. The sailor hat, a traditional form first worn by women in the 19th century, is uncharacteristically decorated with flowers. Schiaparelli uses realistic-looking irises rather than the typical roses. The fleur-de-lis, a symbol of France, is widely thought to be a stylized iris, and as World War II approached France, perhaps this design was a show of Schiaparelli's support for her adopted nation.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

fall 1939

Medium

silk, straw, horsehair

Culture

French

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955