Fake Schiaparelli?

D

dhall

Registered Guest
I stupidly bought a hat on Ebay seconds before the auction was finished, and so didn't have time to look at the details.
It is black leather with a wide black rabbit fur brim. Inside it has a cream and pink Schiaparelli Paris label but underneath the black grosgrain tape there is another label which says union made number 326135 in USA.
So it has to be a fake, right? I feel such an idiot....!
 
It may be "real", but a licensed piece from the 60s or later and not the more desireable early Schiap. The licensed pieces were mass produced and could easily have been union manufactured.

Angela
 
Not necessarily...the Schiap name was licensed and appears in a lot of hats in the '50s and '60s. I'm not sure where they were made, but it's not unlikely some were made in the US.

You could start by comparing the label to the ones in the label resource and see if it matches. In particular, look for the one from a late '50s angora hat. I have a leopard print '50s hat with the Schiap label and it has this one too, mine has a made in Italy label. Your hat sounds like it might be early '60s.

Also, it would help if you posted pics of the hat and labels.

Nicole
 
Thank you so much. The label looks the same as the one on the 50s angora hat. I will try and post some pics...
Dinah
 
Hi,

Yes, Schiaparelli hats can sometimes have a union label, the labels can be sewn in or glued, and can vary slightly in the texture/type of satin used for the label and slight variations in the hue of the pink embroidered script. The label did not really vary much from the 1950s and 1960's. Some ladies have worried that if it says made in Italy it is not Schiaparelli but that is not the case. That also may refer to where the hat "body" was made, and not the design or trimming, etc of the hat itself.

Dating a later era (50s-60's 70s) Schiaparelli by label comparison is not the best way to date it, the style and materials used are the best way.

Are you sure the hat is leather and not vinyl? Just curious and I would love to see a photo.

B
 
Actually I'm not at all convinced it's leather - people with a better sense of smell than me say they think it is, but it feels like vinyl to me.... Unfortunately I can't get the hang of photo attachments. I click on the browse button, select the jpg but then there doesn't seem to be a way of making it upload. Am I missing a trick here?
 
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