V&A

Navy Blue Silk Satin Hat with Ostrich Feathers

Great Depression · 1930s · French

Designer

Luciene Rabaté for Caroline Reboux

Production

haute couture

Material

silk satin

Culture

French

Influences

1930s sculptural millinery · Parisian haute couture accessories

A dramatic navy blue silk satin hat featuring an explosion of curled ostrich feathers that cascade from the crown in loose spirals. The base appears to be a fitted skull cap construction in dark navy satin, providing structure for the abundant feather arrangement. The ostrich plumes are dyed in matching navy blue and have been professionally curled to create voluminous, springy tendrils that would frame the wearer's face. This represents the theatrical millinery style popular in late 1930s Paris, where hats served as sculptural accessories for evening wear, combining luxurious materials with dramatic silhouettes that complemented the era's sophisticated fashion sensibilities.

hat

Connected To

Black Silk Velvet Mantle with Brown Fur Trim

THE MET

Fin de Siecle / Gibson Girl · 1890s

V&A

Great Depression · 1930s

Black Silk Velvet Mantle with Brown Fur Trim

62%

Navy Blue Silk Satin Hat with Ostrich Feathers

Worn with·evening gownWorn with·gloves

SHARED40 years · cross-culture · cross-category

These two pieces speak the same language of theatrical luxury, just whispered at different volumes. The Belle Époque cape commands attention with its sweeping silhouette and that luscious contrast between inky velvet and tawny fur—pure opera-box drama designed to announce your arrival. Four decades later, the navy hat channels that same impulse toward extravagant ornament, but compresses it into a tight explosion of ostrich plumes that quiver with restrained energy.

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