Glossary

Lilly Dache refers to one of America's best known milliners, although she was born in Beigles, France in 1898. Her career as a milliner started when apprenticed to a Bordeaux mill iner, then later she moved to Paris to work for leading French milliners Caroline Rebux and Suzanne Talbot.

Afterwards, at the age of 16, Dache moved to the United States where she lived with an uncle in Atlantic City. She soon found a job as a millinery saleswoman in Macy's Department store in New York, and after only a few months she left to work at the Bonnet Shop. After saving enough money, Dache bought the store from the owner, starting her own salon. In the late 1920's, with the financial success of her business, she established the Lilly Dache Building on East 56th Street.

Dache was considered the top milliner in New York at the time when hats were considered more important than dresses. She was well know for her flamboyant style hats, including close-fitting brimmed cloche, snoods, caps and draped turbans. Dache also designed hats for movies, and for movie stars including Betty Grable and Marlene Dietrich.

Following World War II, Dache added dresses and accessories to compliment her millinery line, and continued to create ready-to-wear millinery collections throughout the 50's and 60"s. In 1968 her husband, Jean Despres, who had spent 50 years at Coty retired and Dache followed suit. After closing her salon that same year, she went on to enjoy 20 years with her husband at their homes in New York and Paris. She continued to remain active in the world of fashion, art and design until her death in a French nursing home in 1989.