The Metropolitan Museum of Art online collection houses such hidden gems as these amazing Balenciaga hats from the 1960s. Interestingly the majority of these particular hats seem to all have been donated to the collection by one person, Janet A. Sloane.

On further investigation it seems that Ms. Sloane was a millinery stylist who lived in New York until she passed away in 1996 at the age of 82.

Here is an excerpt from her obituary from the New York Times»:

Beginning in the early 1940’s, Ms. Sloane was a stylist, scout and vice president of Madcaps Inc., a Manhattan millinery and accessories company founded by her brother and partner, Alfred Z. Solomon. She worked there until Mr. Solomon sold the business in 1992.

As president of Madcaps International, Ms. Sloane was a regular at fashion shows in Europe, Tokyo and Hong Kong, where she sought new trends in designs, colors and fabrics. She was among the first to adapt the millinery designs of Givenchy, Yves St. Laurent and other Europeans for the American market.

All images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art online collection»