"A woman's hat is close to her heart, though she wears it on her head. It is a way of saying to the world: see, this is what I am like."
— Lilly Dache
Lilly Dache was one of the most celebrated milliners in American history, dressing everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Lucille Ball. Her Madison Avenue salon was legendary, and her hats were as much about the woman wearing them as about the design itself.
Every Choice Is Personal
I see this in my own clients all the time:
- The woman who chooses a bold red percher is telling the world she is confident and ready to be noticed
- The woman who picks a soft, romantic hat with vintage veiling is showing her love of beauty and nostalgia
- The woman in sleek black with a single feather knows exactly who she is
That is exactly what makes millinery so meaningful. Every hat tells a story about the woman wearing it.
From the Archives
Dache built her empire from a tiny shop on Broadway in 1926. By the 1950s she employed over 150 milliners and her clients included Hollywood royalty. Her autobiography, Talking Through My Hats, remains one of the most entertaining books on millinery ever written.
