Caroline Reboux: The Girlish Milliner Turned Artist

The great country of France is known for many things: culture, literature, art, food, architecture and of course, fashion. As one of the world’s largest fashion capitals, Paris has always been the converging point of many a young artist or designer hoping to make his or her mark on the industry. This comes as no surprise, as many of the major couture houses and celebrated fashion figures are French, one of them being Caroline Reboux, who made her name in one of the most creative branches of fashion – millinery or hat-making.

Born in Paris in 1837, Caroline Reboux already had the French passion for fashion in her blood, fostered all the more by her environment. The daughter of a noblewoman who had come upon hard times and a literary man, Reboux taught herself the art of hat-making and with her talent and skills, created a whole new form of artistic hats that quickly gained public notice. Opening shop at Avenue Matignon in Paris, Reboux soon found herself a favorite among celebrated clientele, including Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich who popularized Reboux berets, the Princess Pauline von Metternich and the Empress Eugenie. Contemporary milliner Lilly Dache trained with Reboux to perfect her own craft.

Caroline Reboux is credited with having nourished the roots of haute couture fashion in her hats. She later expanded to open shops in other areas of Paris and in London, then trained others to establish shops in New York and Chicago. Dubbed the “Queen of the Milliners”, Reboux was the first designer to add a veil to a woman’s hat, the inventor of the cloche hat made famous in the 1920s and reinvented straw hats. She collaborated with Europe’s leading fashion names and theatrical production companies, designing unique yet wearable hats as well as costume headwear. While most of Reboux’s work is now on display at the Musee de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, she has remained an icon in millinery and a strong example of the power of imagination.