Cocktail hat
Schiaparelli's involvement with Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí inspired her to create clothing and accessories that could elicit a viewer’s double-take. To pair such an off-beat accessory with a couture garment was just the kind of humorous irony Schiaparelli enjoyed incorporating into her works. Throughout her career, she made headpieces that imitated hair, as this early example crafted of ostrich feathers illustrates. The cap would stylishly augment the wearer's own fashionable coif. This design is a precursor to the well-known wedding veil design from her summer 1938 collection, which featured blue sequined decoration that flowed down the wearer's back in imitation of hair.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cocktail hat
- Design House: Schiaparelli (French, founded 1927)
- Designer: Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
- Date: summer 1935
- Culture: French
- Medium: silk, feathers
- 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
- Object Number: 2009.300.1872
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
fall/winter 1937–38
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
summer 1940
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
1936–37
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
fall 1937
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
ca. 1938
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.