Caroline Reboux (1837–1927) was one of the most influential and celebrated milliners in history, often called the “Queen of Milliners.” Active for nearly seven decades in Paris, she defined hat fashion from the Second Empire through the Roaring Twenties.
Renowned for her exceptional craftsmanship, elegant designs, and innovative sensibility, Reboux created hats for royalty, aristocracy, and the most fashionable women of her time, including actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Coco Chanel. She was particularly famous for perfecting the cloche hat in the 1920s and for her ability to combine artistic creativity with refined simplicity.
Her work embodied the height of Parisian chic and helped elevate the milliner’s craft to the level of haute couture. These exquisite vintage photos capture the timeless elegance and artistic genius of Caroline Reboux, the woman who defined hat fashion for nearly seven decades and remains the undisputed Queen of Milliners.
Model in plum colored straw trimmed with long cherry and plum ribbon streamers by Caroline Reboux, photo by Studio Robert Rigasse, 1940
Model wearing turban in navy blue felt lined with pink gros-grain and decorated with roses, covered by large mesh voilette, by Caroline Reboux, photo by Studio Robert Rigasse, 1940
Betty Threatt wearing a hat of ice blue ostrich feathers on a black wide cuff and back of velvet lattice work strips by Caroline Reboux at Bergdorf Goodman, photo by Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Harper’s Bazaar, December 1946
Model in wool coat by Balenciaga, hat of towering tulle with red roses by Carolyn Reboux, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1947
Model wearing black velvet hat with cyclamen pink ribbon by Caroline Reboux, photo by Philippe Pottier, 1947
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