Vintage Black Silk Velvet Pillbox Hat

Product Description

A classically elegant vintage pillbox hat.  Made by a famous designer in the realm of haute couture, Mr. John. A sophisticated design with a flat crown, straight upright sides and no brim.  Beautifully constructed, it’s made of fine quality jet black silk velvet with a stiff black grosgrain short walled interior crown for fitting many head sizes.  It measures  21 inches in circumference – around the inside rim.  It is 6 1/4 inches across the inside – side to side.  From front to back it measures  7 1/4 inches. The label reads, “NEW YORK PARIS Mr. John CLASSIC”. In excellent vintage condition.

John P. John (1902 – 1993). Was born in Germany and immigrated to U.S. with his parents.  His mother ran a millinery shop in Manhattan where he worked briefly before forming a partnership with Frederic Hirst under the label John-Frederics.  He opened his own salon in 1948 under the name Mr. Johns. He designed more than hats but is best known for his hats.

According to the New York Times, “in the 1940s and 1950s, the name Mr. John was as famous in the world of hats as Christian Dior was in the realm of haute couture”. He designed hats for many famous and fashionable women. Among those 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