Collecting Hats Is Serious Business - Mr. John

Mr. John was born John P. Harberger in Germany around 1902. He was as famous in the world of hats as Christian Dior was in the realm of haute couture.

Mr. John's hats were worn by the Duchess of Windsor, Gloria Swanson, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Gloria Vanderbilt, Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford and Rosalind Russell. Mr. John created hats (astonishingly) for over one thousand classic films. His hats were worn by such film icons as Marlene Dietrich in "Shanghai Express" and "The Scarlet Empress", Greta Garbo in "The Painted Veil", Vivian Leigh in "Gone With The Wind" as well as Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". 

His work was featured on the covers of countless fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, photographed by Irving Penn and Horst P. Horst. Mr. John was a wildly creative genius milliner and a fabulously eccentric gentleman.

 

 

Here at Pearl Modern, we are always on the hunt for exciting hats. We have developed a deep appreciation for the creations of Mr. John. We tend to choose hats that have a certain "attitude", hats that a movie star on the lam might choose, worn with ridiculously large dark sunglasses. We love real glamour and think that one can look glamorous any time of the day and in any situation, from walking the dog to sipping cocktails. Hats are a brilliant way to up the ante with one's wardrobe, either giving your look an edge or softening it with a giant pouf of tulle sitting just so...

Below is an attention grabbing 1960's Mr. John woven raffia checkerboard hat with a daring black vinyl feather.

                                                                                                                                          available here



Below is a wildly sexy 1960's Mr. John leopard print faux fur hat. Rawr!

                                                                                                                                          available here



Below is a 1960's Mr. John mod Carnaby Street bubble hat.

                                                                                                                                        available here



Below is a 1960's Mr. John chic bohemian floppy hat.

                                                                                                                                          available here 

For a more in depth look at the incredibly interesting life of Mr. John, please read this excellent article from Framework.