Mr. John
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John P. John (born March 14, 1902 in Munich, Germany) was an American milliner. According to the New York Times, "in the 1940's and 1950's, the name Mr. John was as famous in the world of hats as Christian Dior was in the realm of haute couture".[1]
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[edit] Biography
Born John Pico Harberger, Mr. John studied medicine at University of Lucerne, and art at the Sorbonne. Mr. John immigrated to the United States in 1919. He apprenticed to his mother, Madame Laurel, as a dressmaker, before forming a partnership with Fred Fredericks, as milliners known as John-Fredericks, in 1929. He started his own millinery company, Mr. John, Inc., in New York in 1948.
Mr. John's most famous work was his millinery for Vivian Leigh in Gone With The Wind [2]. With a long association with Hollywood and Broadway, his hats were much in demand. [3]
A famous anecdote about Mr. John goes that a woman came into his shop in urgent need of a hat. He built one up right on her head, but she balked when he named his price. He then disassembled the pieces and handed them to her. "That's $3.59," he said, "You make it." [4]
His life partner was Peter Brandon. Mr. John died on June 25, 1993 in New York City.
