Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Lilly Daché

Lilly DachĂ©  (1893 to 1990) French-born, US-based milliner at 76 East 56th Street New York; married the perfumer Jean Desprez in 1931.




Life and Career:

Info from wikipedia:

She was born in Bègles, Gironde, France, and began her fashion career there at the age of 15 as a milliner, apprenticed under Caroline Reboux and Suzanne Talbot. Although she is said to have emigrated to the United States in 1924, the 1930 U.S. Census reports her as having entered this country in 1919; in any case, she settled in New York City. On 13 March 1931, Daché married French-born Jean Despres who was an executive at the large cosmetics and fragrance company, Coty, Inc. Their mutual love and successful supportive professional lives and collaboration endeared them to those around them.

Daché is reported to have said, "Glamour is what makes a man ask for your telephone number. But it also is what makes a woman ask for the name of your dressmaker." She was the most famous milliner in the United States during her time. So famous, in fact, that she was a mystery guest on an August 28, 1955 episode of the sophisticated television game show What's My Line? (panelist Arlene Francis eventually guessed her identity). She is also referenced in the song "Tangerine" performed by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.

Her major contributions to millinery were draped turbans, brimmed hats molded to the head, half hats, visored caps for war workers, colored snoods, and romantic massed-flower shapes. By 1949, she was designing dresses to go with her hats, as well as lingerie, loungewear, gloves, hosiery, and a wired strapless bra.

Lilly DachĂ© designed for Hollywood films and had many clients who were movie-stars. They included Marlene Dietrich, Caroline Lombard and Loretta Young. When DachĂ© retired in 1968 Loretta Young bought her last thirty hats.

Both the designer Halston and the hair stylist Kenneth worked for her before going into business for themselves. Lilly Dache brought R. Halston Frowick (better known as simply Halston)  to New York in 1958 to design and manage her wholesale hat division. In 1959 he left Dache to ... In 1975 he added menswear and perfume to his design activities.

Daché's books include Lilly Daché's Glamour Book (published in 1956) and her autobiography, Talking through My Hats (published in 1946).

By 1962, Lilly expanded her business interests to include couture clothes, cosmetics, stockings, perfume, wallets and other profitable ventures.

Daché retired in 1968, and her New York millinery business was taken over by her daughter Suzanne Daché. Daché in 1940 won the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award. She also won the first Coty American Fashion Critics Award for millinery in 1943. She died in Louveciennes, France. Her grandson is the American painter John Gordon Gauld (b. 1977).

Her designs and hats are valued highly by collectors of vintage clothes.



Perfumes:

On 13 March 1931, DachĂ© married French-born Jean Despres who was an executive at the large cosmetics and fragrance company, Coty, Inc. Their mutual love and successful supportive professional lives and collaboration endeared them to those around them. In 1940, Lilly DachĂ© introduced perfumed millinery in association with Coty Parfums. Hats whose linings and and headbands are impregnated with sachet in the wearer's favorite Coty scent, Emeraude, Styx, L'Origan, Chypre and L'Aimant.

Tricolor, 1944:
"Dashing by Lilly Dache is bottled in crystal (Price: $15 for 1 oz.) as well as in a white plaster poodle wearing a small blue bow."

Lilly DachĂ© worked closely with Coty at times as well as becoming president of one of Coty Inc's, divisions in 1954. Coty, Inc.'s New Subsidiary: General Beauty Products Corp., was formed to manage and operate 3 of company's cosmetic and perfume divisions, Lucien Lelong, Marie Earle and Rallet Perfumes. This new unit, was headed by Lilly Dache, who also managed a new division, Lilly Dache Products.

On October 6, 1961, Lanolin acquired all of the outstanding stock of Lilly Dache Cosmetics, Incorporated.


Department Store Economist - 178 days to Christmas, 1964:
"Lilly Dache's new box in grey- green and gold is wrapped with Dachelle perfume in a gold bow."

Vogue, 1966:
" Dachelle Coeur de Parfum by Lilly Dache means that Dache has extracted the heart of the perfume; more than double the essential oils of conventional perfumes; no alcohol: more durability."

 Lilly Dache closed her business in 1968 upon her husband's retirement from Coty.

The perfumes of Lilly Dache:

  • 1941 Drifting (a floral perfume)
  • 1941 Dashing (fresh, floral oriental perfume)
  • 1944 Fan-Freluches
  • 1945 Because
  • 1953 Drifing Night and Day Fragrances
  • 1953 Dashing Night and Day fragrances
  • 1962 Dachelle



















Bottles:


Drifting:


The perfume was named after her white French poodle, Drifting. The perfume was suggested to be worn during evening. The perfume “ Drifting ” came in a surrealistic bottle shaped like a woman's breasts sprouting from green leaves with bright pink and yellow feathers jauntily shooting out from the top of stopper. In the original advertisement from the era, it was described as a "crystal heart flacon" holding two ounces of parfum. So I think the overall idea was the woman's bust combined with a stylized human heart. A 1940s ad mentioned it was "green flames of envy consuming a woman's heart." The green body is made from tinted "Stonite", the molded glass bottle was made in the United States, as was all of Dache's perfume bottles. The kelly green satin covered presentation box completes the green and pink theme. The bottle is affixed to the satin covered cardstock base. The bottle held 2 ounces of parfum. The perfume offered in this bottle originally retailed for $28 in 1941. 

Stonite, was a trade name for celluloid– a nitrocellulose plastic made from wood by-products, containing pyroxylin and camphor. Highly flammable. Can be blended and laminated to produce beautiful decorative patterns. Celluloid was the brand name created by the Celanese Corporation. Other chemical manufacturers had their own trade names: Pyroxylin, Radite, Permanite, Pyralin and Stonite. Stonite was used by Irving Schwartz of 625 West 43rd Street, New York City. He used Stonite in the manufacture of plastic statuettes, plaques, counter and window display pieces.

Other Parfum bottles can be found including the square clear glass flacon with a faceted stopper and a crystal decanter style bottle. They are also housed in kelly green satin covered boxes. The crystal decanter bottle is affixed to the satin covered oval cardstock base.

Drifting was available in Parfum and Eau de Cologne concentrations.
  • 1/2 oz Parfum square bottle with faceted stopper stands 3.25" tall.
  • 1 oz Parfum in decanter bottle with faceted stopper stands 4.75" tall
  • 2 oz Parfum in figural heart bottle stands 5.75" tall including base.
  • 4 oz Parfum square bottle with faceted stopper stands 5" tall
  • 4 oz Eau de Cologne bottle stands 5.25" tall. 
  • 8 oz Eau de Cologne bottle stands 6.25" tall.
The cologne bottles were clear glass, fitted with with inner glass stoppers, and satin fabric covered wooden over caps. Drifting's cologne bottles had kelly green satin covered caps (these might have faded over the years) and green and gold paper labels.


Drifting was described as "softly languorous". Drifting's perfume pyramid:
  • Top notes: aldehydes
  • Middle notes: rose, jasmine
  • Base notes: amber, sandalwood


























Dashing:


The perfume was named after her white French poodle, Dashing.  The perfume was suggested for day wear. The adorable bottle for the perfume Dashing is made up of "stonite" molded like a white French poodle. The stonite is molded around an inner glass bottle, this is complete with a blue bow which forms the top of the stopper which is fitted with a full length glass dauber to reach the bottom of the bottle. It was housed in a fuchsia satin covered presentation box. The bottle is affixed to the satin covered cardstock base. The bottle held 2 ounces of parfum. The perfume offered in this bottle originally retailed for $28 in 1941.  A particularly sweet presentation holds three of the poodle bottles, each stands about 3 3/8" tall.

Other Parfum bottles can be found including the square clear glass flacon with a faceted stopper and a crystal decanter style bottle. They are also housed in fuchsia colored satin boxes. The 4 oz Parfum in the square bottle had a lovely fold out presentation box with a gathered satin interior and features a satin millinery rose atop the lid. The crystal decanter bottle is affixed to the satin covered oval cardstock base.

Dashing was available in Parfum and Eau de Cologne concentrations.
  • 1/2 oz Parfum square bottle with faceted stopper stands 3.25" tall.
  • 1 oz Parfum in decanter bottle with faceted stopper stands 4.75" tall
  • 2 oz Parfum in figural dog bottle stands 7" tall not including base.
  • 4 oz Parfum square bottle with faceted stopper stands 5" tall
  • 4 oz Eau de Cologne bottle stands 5.25" tall. 
  • 8 oz Eau de Cologne bottle stands 6.25" tall.

The cologne bottles were clear glass, fitted with with inner glass stoppers, and satin fabric covered wooden over caps. Dashing's cologne bottles were covered with fuchsia satin covered caps (these might have faded over the years) and fuchsia and gold paper labels.


Dashing was described as "tangy, heady". Dashing's perfume pyramid:
  • Top notes: osmanthus, citrus, aldehydes
  • Middle notes: carnation, rose, iris, lily, jasmine and ylang ylang
  • Base notes: oakmoss, amber, vanilla, sandalwood and musk























Dachelle:


Launched in 1962, Dachelle is classified as a soft floral chypre fragrance for women.
  • Top notes: bergamot, citrus
  • Middle notes: rose, jasmine
  • Base notes: oakmoss, civet, labdanum, tonka bean, amber, patchouli, musk, sandalwood


The lovely crystal bottle for Dachelle is acid marked Made in France in the base. The same bottle also was used for the Dachelle Coeur de Parfum fragrance. 
  • 1/4 oz bottle stands 4" tall.
  • 1/2 oz bottle stands 4 7/8" tall.
  • 1 oz bottle stands 6.5" tall.

Dachelle Coeur de Parfum by Lilly Daché means that Daché has extracted the heart of the perfume ; more than
The "Coeur de Parfum" - the heart of the perfume, was advertised as having 2.5 times more pure perfume essence than conventional perfumes and was made without alcohol. I would imagine it was extremely potent and longer lasting than usual parfums. The Coeur de Parfum fragrance was available in 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz and 1 oz sizes. According to an inflation calculator, the 1/4 oz bottle which cost $14 in 1965, would cost $120 in 2021 money, the 1/2 oz bottle which cost $24 in 1965, would cost $207 in 2021, and the 1 oz bottle which cost $42 in 1965 would cost $362.00 in 2021.

Dachelle was available in cologne concentration known as Cologne Parisienne.
  • 2 oz Cologne bottle stands 4.5" tall.
  • 3.6 oz Cologne bottle stands 5.75" tall.

The Dachelle line was extended to include Perfume for the Bath (a bath oil in three sizes: 1 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1/8 oz),  an after Bath Powder and a refreshing After Shower Spray in a 2.5 oz size.

In 1965, a trio of gold tone necklaces fitted with solid crème perfume compacts were launched, known as the "Dachelle Lavalieres". Fashioned after an antique clock face, a renaissance era coin or carved Italian intaglio, some were set with rhinestones, faux turquoise or faux topaz stones. The interior of the lid features a mirror.

By 1970, Dachelle seems to have been discontinued.

















Obituary for Lilly Dache


Lilly Dache, 97, Creator of Hats For the Fashion Set of Yesteryear
By BERNADINE MORRIS
Published: January 02, 1990 New York Times

Lilly Dache, the milliner who flourished in this country in the decades when women selected their new hats before they chose their new clothes, died Sunday at a nursing home in Louvecienne, France. She was 97 years old.

She was best known for her turbans, which she made by draping the fabric right on her customers' heads.

''I would talk to the woman, ask her where she planned to wear the hat, what kind of dress she would wear it with,'' she told an interviewer at the end of her career. ''If she thought her nose was too long, I would make a hat with a brim and pull it down so you couldn't see the nose so much. I made everything with love, affection and excitement.''

Customers Included Film Stars

Her clients included Hollywood stars like Sonja Henie, Audrey Hepburn, Carole Lombard and Marlene Dietrich. Her last customer was Loretta Young, who arrived at her studio after Miss Dache decided to retire and bought her last 30 hats.

That was in 1968. Miss Dache's husband, Jean Despres, an executive at Coty Inc., the fragrance and cosmetics house, was retiring and she decided to close her business. Until his death last year, she and her husband divided their time between Delray Beach, Fla., and Meudon, France.

She had come to this country from France at the age of 16 and lived with an uncle in Atlantic City at first. But she soon went to New York, saw a sign in a window on a shop on Broadway saying ''Milliner Wanted'' and got the job.

She and another woman working there eventually bought the shop from the owner. She remembered the first hat she made as her own boss: a turban in four shades of blue, made from scraps lying in the shop.

A Leader in Fashion World

She was part of a group of milliners who were better known at the time than dress designers. They included John-Fredericks, Walter Florell, Laddie Northridge and Sally Victor.

In the 1930's depression era, women with limited funds tended to buy new hats instead of new clothes. In the 1940's clothing fabric was in restricted supply because of World War II, and hats continued in demand because they were showy.

But Miss Dache saw that millinery might not continue in fashion indefinitely, so she developed snoods with flowers, veils and bows as alternatives.

At the end of the 1950's she hired a young assistant from Chicago, Halston Frowick, who went on to become known for his own line of clothes. She also hired Kenneth Battell to take charge of her hair salon. By the 1960's elaborate coiffures by Kenneth, as he was known, swept hats off the fashion map.

Miss Dache did not mourn the end of the millinery era. After her retirement, she rarely wore a hat; she preferred wigs.

She is survived by her daughter, Suzanne Dache-Gould, who also became a milliner, and two grandsons. A funeral service will be held in Meudon on Thursday.

CLICK HERE TO FIND LILLY DACHE ON EBAY

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