Hats Off

11 Jan — 31 Jul 2020 at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, United States

19 February 2020

Halston, Hat, 1961, buckram, capenet, and burnt ostrich quills, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.

Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts, presents special exhibitions twice a year.

This exhibition explores the art of millinery in the mid-20th century. Hats Off: Halston Hats from the Masterson Collection highlights hats and hair accessories designed by influential American fashion designer Halston (1932–1990) for the New York department store Bergdorf Goodman. Thirteen pieces in the Rienzi Collection, designed from 1958 to 1966, were ordered directly from Bergdorf Goodman’s custom salon by by Carroll Sterling Masterson, one of Rienzi’s founders.

Some of the hats are paired with their design drawings, discovered through archival research. The exhibition also features loans from the collection of Halston’s niece, Lesley Frowick, including original head forms and vintage Bergdorf Goodman hatboxes.

The Museum of Fine Arts

The MFAH is the largest cultural institution in the southwest region. The Museum’s main campus is located in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, and comprises the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Glassell School of Art, and the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden.

Museum profile

Location

Houston, United States

Founded in

1900

Halston, Hat with Tasseled Pom-Pom, c. 1967, black silk ribbon, white ostrich feathers, black grosgrain ribbon, and hair combs, the Museum of fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.

Halston in Paris, 1966, by Jean Barthet.

Halston, for Bergdorf Goodman, Hat, 1959–67, white mink fur, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.

Halston, Hat with Tasseled Pom-Pom, c. 1967, black silk ribbon, white ostrich feathers, black grosgrain ribbon, and hair combs, the Museum of fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Halston in Paris, 1966, by Jean Barthet.
Halston, for Bergdorf Goodman, Hat, 1959–67, white mink fur, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.

Halston in Paris, 1966, by Jean Barthet.
Halston, for Bergdorf Goodman, Hat, 1959–67, white mink fur, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.
Halston, Hat with Tasseled Pom-Pom, c. 1967, black silk ribbon, white ostrich feathers, black grosgrain ribbon, and hair combs, the Museum of fine Arts, Houston, the Rienzi Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III.