Don Marshall
Don Marshall was the brand and pseudonym of the hat designer William Ernest Sydenstriker. He made his début as a costume designer and hairstylist during a show for U.S. troops in the Pacific during World War II. In 1956, Grace Kelly ordered all the hats for her honeymoon with Prince Ranier of Monaco from him, while the hat worn for her wedding, in lace encrusted with pearls, was designed, along with her dress, by the Hollywood designer Helen Rose. At that time, millinery was very popular and served the main figures and great names of show business and high society, even if it wasn’t present in the places devoted to fashion and luxury in New York. Marshall’s fame was such that he was able to withstand the decline of hats in both high fashion and everyday dress. In 1963 he still had a staff of 55 people between workers and sales personnel. Department stores, especially Bloomingdale’s, wanted his help for the mass production of hats, and American designers wanted his advice during their presentations. In the early 1970s, the ever smaller number of women wearing hats forced him to adopt a defensive strategy: an atelier at a prestigious address, Park Avenue and 57th Street, and a staff reduced to just a few workers, serving a small group of elite clients. He was often inspired by Picasso, especially the portraits of Dora Maar and the Pierrot paintings.