.. You won't find Mary Milloy in any reference book, though the quality of her work is noteworthy. I found this hat at her estate sale, it was only one of three that she kept for herself. I was told that she owned a little millinary shop in San Fransisco in the 1950s, but she closed shop after only a few years to raise her family. None of her children were at the sale, so I couldn't get any more information about the artist, but I did find out she attended art school in San Francisco, and that she worshiped Lilly Dache.

..In terms of quality, you can't beat a hand made, one of a kind hat. This beauty was expertly crafted. It feels like a very fine staw weave under the beautiful, pleated silk satin. There were a number of hat blocks in her home so there is a good chance she made the hat form by hand as well. I searched for the block with this little duck tail, but sadly, it was not to be found.

..This had is a marvel. The pleating is very fine, with those tiny pink faux pearls all over. The matching hat pin also has a few tiny pearls as well. The fine veil could be worn down over the eyes.

..The hat is made to sit on top of the head, so it is basically one size fits all. The circumference is approximately 20" around. I have removed the front comb as it was just pinned in, and was not contemporary to the hat