Sally Victor

Sally Victor (1905-1977) was a contemporary of both Lilly Daché and Mr. John. From the 1930s to 1950s, a hat was a required accessory and America was a leader in designer millinery. Together, Victor, Daché and John were known as the ‘Big Three’ of the industry during this period.

Starting Out

Born in 1905 in Pennsylvania, Sally Victor learned about hats while working as a buyer for the millinery department of Macy’s in New York City, where Lilly Daché also worked. In 1927 she married milliner Segre (Sergiu Victor) and became a designer in his salon. The couple’s hats were sold in all the best known retail stores in the country.

In 1934, Victor’s husband gave her $10,000 to open her own studio. Soon after Fortune magazine wrote, “The name of Sally Victor stands with Lilly Daché and John Frederics at the very top of American style leaders.”

Within five years, Sergiu closed his own company and joined his wife’s salon. By the late 1950s she was one of the country’s most successful businesswomen, making $500,000 a year. Her studio on East 53rd St in New York City remained open from 1934 until her retirement in 1967.

Famous Clients

Sally Victor’s work was sophisticated, with clean lines. She was known for making hats that were attractive, rather than avant-garde. In 1954, The New Yorker called her “a magnificent sculptress of straws and felts” whose hats were marked with “touches that are feminine without being unruly.”

Victor made hats for Queen Elizabeth II, Eleanor Roosevelt and Judy Garland. One her most famous hats, Airwave, was worn by Mamie Eisenhower to the 1957 US Presidential Inauguration (above). In fact, she designed several hats for First Lady Eisenhower, and later made pieces for Jacqueline Kennedy as well.

Hats for Everyday Life

She also made practical hat designs for large scale production. These included a beret for the Cadet Nurse Corps in World War II (above) and a denim work hat with an adjustable snood, which confined the long hair of female workers to prevent accidents, for General Electric.

Millinery Inspiration

Greatly influenced by art exhibitions and architecture, Sally Victor created a collection inspired by the 700th anniversary of the birth of Marco Polo. It had designs shaped like Asian lanterns, fans and geisha bonnets. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was another inspiration and she famously recreated New York’s Guggenheim Museum from straw (above).

Sally Victor was known for being innovative and was particularly interested in making collapsible hats. She wanted to create pieces that were easy to wear and travel with. She studied Japanese armour to experiment with concentric and collapsible construction. She was also at the forefront of working with synthetic materials alongside traditional ones.

Sally Victor was a true millinery master and a few of her iconic pieces are pictured above.

The Met Museum’s archive in New York City is home to many more wonderful examples of Victor’s work, most of which have been catalogued on their website. Click HERE to see their full collection.

About the Author

Amy Fowler is the creator of the bespoke, California-based Millinery by Amy Fowler label. She also runs Humboldt Haberdashery, an online millinery supplier.

See Amy’s full bio HERE.