San Diego is about to get a stylish new reason to visit Balboa Park. On December 4, 2025, Mingei International Museum opens ‘Couture Hats: Inspiration to Creation,’ a joyful exhibition built around more than 100 hats — from beloved vintage pieces from the museum’s own collection to brand-new creations by contemporary designers.
The show traces a complete creative journey. Historic hats reveal how milliners of earlier generations shaped felt, straw and feathers into wearable sculpture, while a special behind-the-scenes section looks at the tools, materials and techniques of the milliner’s studio — a working art form for more than 500 years. It is a rare chance to see both the finished glamour and the craft hidden inside it.
The contemporary lineup is a delight for design lovers. Twelve milliners bring fresh work to the galleries, including San Diego’s own Diana Cavagnaro, whose studio has been a local institution for decades, alongside Mr. Song Millinery, the house behind some of the most talked-about hats in fashion, London-based couture milliner Edwina Ibbotson, and West Coast favorite Louise Green.
Set inside the beautifully renewed House of Charm on the Plaza de Panama, the exhibition fits Mingei’s mission perfectly: celebrating art of the people, made by hand, from cultures around the world. ‘Couture Hats’ runs through September 6, 2026, giving San Diegans and visitors plenty of time to tip their hats to it.
Photo: Mingei International Museum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
