Vintage Pierre Cardin 1960s Womens Breton Straw Hat Saks Fifth Avenue Size M

Description

This is a fine quality straw hat designed in the Breton style by Pierre Cardin during the early 1960s. The hat has a crown with upturned brim as is typical of the Breton shape. The edge of the brim is decorated with a beige grosgrain ribbon around its entirety with a matching bow at its front. The label on the interior reads “Reproduction of Pierre Cardin Modes Paris” - it was typical at that time for the French haute couture fashion houses to release designs to milliners for manufacture rather than producing them themselves. A second label reads “Saks Fifth Avenue” with a scissors logo. In addition, there is a union label on the back of the Cardin label that reads “Union Made in U.S.A.”. The opening is lined with grosgrain ribbon, covered by velvet ribbon at the front and has two small combs to aid in securing the hat tilted to the back of the head. The opening measures 20 1/4” around the sweatband - because the hat should sit at the back of the head, this should fit a range of medium sizes. The brim measures 4 5/8” in height and the crown has a height of about 5” - difficult to measure as it depends on if the hat is flat on the floor or on the head. It is in excellent condition with no wear, tear or soiling - there are a few small defects in the straw work that I’m sure are original to the making of the hat (see last close-up photo), but otherwise, this hat has been very well cared for over the years and looks like it was never used or saw very little use. Pierre Cardin was known as a fashion innovator during the 1960s, known for his youth oriented futuristic designs, and was the designer of the collarless suit jacket worn by the Beatles and credited with reviving the fedora hat during the 60s by narrowing the brim to match the narrower lapels being used on suit jackets. The straw on this hat is a cream white colour, and is of excellent quality - fashion offered by Saks during this time would have been at the forefront of style.
This is an exceptional quality hat - you can view a photo of Audrey Hepburn wearing a similar hat in 1962, taken by Pierluigi Praturlon in Paris…..great style as one would expect from a Pierre Cardin design of the period!
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