Join curator Elizabeth Lay, a regular lecturer on the topics of fashion, textiles, and American furniture, for an image-rich lunchtime lecture series focusing on decorative arts and design topics.

Session Information

“Designed for You”: Hats Created by Milliner Sara Sue of Virginia

Sara Sue Sherrill Waldbauer was Richmond’s most recognized milliner. From the early 1930s until she retired in 1973, she worked from the Amethyst Room at Miller & Rhoads, the South’s largest department store. Sara Sue designed custom hats for women up and down the East Coast. For over 40 years, she held seasonal fashion shows and dictated hat styles to her frequent customers. No woman’s wardrobe was complete without a hat, and in Richmond, owning a Sara Sue creation was a mark of status and taste. 

As Sara Sue’s designs rose in popularity, so did her fashion shows. Her signature label declared “Designed for you by Sara Sue,” as she created fantasy confections that ranged from the ordinary to the outrageous. Nichol Gabor, curator of costume and textiles at Richmond’s Valentine Museum, offers a delightful look at the crowning glories worn by the city’s fashionable ladies who lunched.

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit*

Additional Sessions of this Lunchtime with a Curator Fall Series

• October 2: Fabulous Fakes: The Golden Age of American Costume Jewelry, 1935–65
• October 30: Shoes and the American Revolution: Purchasing Patriotism, 1760s–70s

General Information

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*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1/2 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.