A quite spectacular hat, made by the fabulous male milliner ROBERT DUDLEY of New York. Serious millinery collectors know that Dudley’s hats almost never come to market, and this one is really special. Dates to the late 1940s. Robert has selected a long, thick, swooping bunch of faux Bird Of Paradise feathers to be the star attraction of this chapeau. The plumes are a pale apricot beige and are stunning, thick and light. The hat is made of a lush French fur felt with a velour finish in dark black. Velour felt in dark black. In back is a large black silk passementerie adornment. Silk label is ROBERT DUDLEY, New York. The plumes are full and thick, and look equally beautiful on both sides. I think these are vulture plumes or ostrich similar, and have been treated and dyed to imitate paradise plumage. Looks good a variety of ways, so you decide. Wear this to the next special event and get ready for lots of compliments. A beautiful and quite special hat for the millinery collector. More details below, and lots of photos, so please scroll down. I show the hat on a full sized, adult millinery head. This hat was very expensive when new. Robert Dudley started out quietly in a small side salon in New York City, calling himself a “maker of hats”, offering his one of a kind creations to the best of Manhattan society who came to him for private designs. He was a bit of “well kept secret” until word got out and and his beautiful and unusual hats were a huge success. During WWII he was known for making outrageous hats out of ordinary materials. I find his work on par and often better than Lilly Dache, Reboux, 1930s era Schiaparelli, or any Paris Haute Mode modiste of the day. Hats with the genuine Robert Dudley label can be found in the world’s best museums and private collections, and are quite rare to find today. And those are not as nice as this one. GRAB IT NOW as it will not be here long. I will entertain offers. However, to be fair to all interested buyers, unless previous arrangements are made, please note that any offers accepted must be paid for within 24 hours, or the hat will be relisted, put back up for sale, and the offer considered void. Thank you for understanding. PLEASE SEE OUR AUCTIONS FOR MORE ANTIQUE and VINTAGE HATS, Clothing, AND MORE…. PLEASE SEE THE PHOTOS as they serve as part of the condition description. Please ask if you have questions, as hats are not returnable unless I have made some gross error in my description. I charge actual costs or less. Thank you so much. The item “SPECTACULAR 1940s ROBERT DUDLEY HAT w Swooping Faux Bird Of Paradsie Plumes WOW” is in sale since Sunday, August 12, 2018. This item is in the category “Clothing, Shoes & Accessories\Vintage\Vintage Accessories\Women’s Hats”. The seller is “isadorafedora” and is located in Long Beach, California. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Size: One Size
• Modified Item: No
• Decade: 1940s
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Brand: Robert Dudley

Tags: 1940s, bird, dudley, faux, paradsie, plumes, robert, spectacular, swooping