A Royal Faux Hawk

EDIT: I'm currently working on creating an organization for my posts.  Somehow, in the process, this old one was republished. Not sure how it happened, but rest assured, I'm not trying to make you feel like you're losing your mind, your deja vu is justified!!!


"...With the decline in the popularity of hats, the business closed in 1970, brought down by what Mr. John described acidly as 'orthopedic hairdos and french fried curls.'" - From Mr. John's obituary , The New York Times, 1993.

WELL. In that case THANK YOU, french fried orthopedic curl-styling hairdressers, for making this hat, by none other than Mr. John, available for my purchase, at a thrift shop. Who would throw this out? I'd like to have a word with her.

From the obituary (full text here):

In the 1940's and 1950's, the name Mr. John was as famous in the world of hats as Christian Dior was in the realm of haute couture. At a time when other milliners were piling on flowers, feathers and tulle, Mr. John was stripping hats naked, relying on pure shape for effect...

His clients included stars of film, stage, opera and the society pages. Among the fashionable women who wore his designs were the Duchess of Windsor, Gloria Swanson, Gloria Vanderbilt, Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell. His hats were worn by Vivien Leigh in "Gone With the Wind," by Marlene Dietrich in "Shanghai Express," by Greta Garbo in "The Painted Veil" and by Marilyn Monroe in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

Images styled and photographed by (IN)DECOROUS TASTE. Modeling by Cristin.