Barthet

Jean Barthet (1930-2000) was a milliner. Originally from Béarn, the region in southwest France that is also home to the beret, Barthet soon left the provinces for Paris, where he introduced his first hat Collection in 1949. His growing reputation led to his designing for films (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort). From the 1960s through the 1980s his exquisitely crafted, witty creations dominated high fashion and high society. His jet-setting clients included Jacqueline Kennedy, Sophia Loren and Elisabeth Taylor, and in this period he also collaborated on Collections with Kenzo, Sonia Rykiel and Ungaro.