Lilly Daché

American, born France, 1898–1989

Birth placeBordeaux, France

BiographyBorn Bèigles, France c. 1904
Died December 31, 1989, Louvecienne, France

Born in Beigles, France in 1898, Lilly Dache went on to become one of America’s best known milliners. Early on she was apprenticed to a Bordeaux milliner, later moving to Paris to work for leading French milliners Caroline Rebux and Suzanne Talbot.

At 16, Lilly moved to the United States, where she lived with an uncle in Atlantic City. She soon found a job as a millinery saleswoman in Macy’s Department store in New York, and after only a few months she left to work at the Bonnet Shop. After saving enough money Lilly bought the store from the owner, starting her own salon. In the late 1920s, with the financial success of her business, she established the Lilly Dache Building on East 56th Street.

At a time when hats were considered more important than dresses, Lilly was considered the top milliner in New York. She was well know for her flamboyant style; including close-fitting brimmed cloche hats, Snoods, caps and draped turbans. Also designing hats for movies, she designed for stars including Betty Grable and Marlene Dietrich.

Following World War II Lilly added dresses and accessories to compliment her millinery line, and continued to create ready-to-wear millinery collections throughout the 50’s and 60’s. In 1968 her husband, Jean Despres, who had spent 50 years at Coty and had risen to vice-president, retired and Lilly decided to follow suit. After closing her salon that same year, she went on to enjoy 20 years with her husband at their homes in New York and Paris. She continued to remain active in the world of fashion, art and design until her death in a French nursing home in 1989.

Person TypePerson