MADAME’S MILLINERY MASTERPIECES: Hats Throughout History

Location: Lotusland

Join Lotusland for an intimate presentation by Kaye Spilker, Curator Emerita of Costume and Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 

History has seen many kinds of crowns on the heads of kings and queens, socialites, and tradespeople. Hats have been fascinating accessories for the most luxurious (and shabbiest) dress, used both for protection and pageantry, and signifying artistry, wealth, occupation, status, and prestige. This presentation will journey through several centuries of history’s headwear including the ancestral legacy of Madame Walska’s spectacular collection of hats. Kaye Spilker’s talk will be accompanied by a display of a selection of Madame Walska’s hats.

A reception will follow the talk.

About Keynote Kaye Spilker: Kaye received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Syracuse University and a Master of Fine Arts in art history from UCLA.  Following her undergraduate studies, she worked for six years as an artist in Belgium, where her works are represented in public and private collections.  She joined the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1987and retired after thirty challenging and very fulfilling years. At LACMA, she curated many exhibitions on a broad range of subjects, including ancient Peruvian textiles, African costume, children’s quilts, Hollywood costume designer Adrian, and she represented the costume and textiles department in the museum-wide millennial exhibition “Made in California”. Major exhibitions with catalogs that traveled internationally were: “Breaking the Mode” on LACMA’s contemporary fashion collection; “Fashioning Fashion” on historic European dress; and “Reigning Men” encompassing 3 centuries of menswear. Her unquestionable favorite, however, was the 2003 exhibition “Erté: Opera and Ballets Russes: Dance” which introduced Los Angeles visitors to the remarkable collection of Madame Walska’s opera ensembles designed by Erté and other famous couturiers. She looks forward to sharing her work on Madame’s glorious headwear.

Ticket Information:
$575 – Patron Sponsors ( Includes access to a separate “Behind the Scenes” tour through the Lotusland Archive on November 4 at 2pm)
$325 – Non-Member Pricing
$275 – Member Pricing