#6889 $450
Lilly Daché silk turban, late 1930s
Lilly Daché was among the most innovative milliners of the 20th century. Before emigrating to New York in 1924, she apprenticed under famed French milliner Caroline Reboux.
Daché advanced quickly from millinery sales at Macy's to opening her own shop in the same year. By 1937 there was a Lily Daché millinery empire. Her 7-story building housed a boutique as well as manufacturing facilities for her hats, pocketbooks, and shoes.
With Hollywood designer Travis Banton, Daché also created hats for the movies, including Carmen Miranda's famous tutti-frutti turban.
The amusing hat with the early Daché label is a special find for the serious collector. The same label design, minus the street address, was used in Daché clothing designs in the 1950s.
The turban is fashioned from Oriental-style printed silk embellished with appliquéd metallic cording. The ingeniously wrapped design shows that Daché was a grandmaster of soft sculpture.
The condition is excellent.
The adjustable inner crown circumference measures 21"-23".
