Hats Off To Stephen Jones

Swing, Stephen Jones, Autumn/Winter 2007

On Tuesday morning, I took a break from the Fashion Week madness and headed uptown to the Bard Graduate Center for a press preview of the new exhibition, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones.  I must not have read my invitation very well, so I was quite pleasantly surprised when I arrived for a tour of the gallery, and found that the tour was administered by Stephen Jones himself.  The exhibition, which was a collaboration between the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Stephen Jones, is essentially the realization of the book of the same name, providing a sweeping history of the millinery canon. Spanning from a twelfth-century Egyptian Fez hat, to a recent creation by up and coming designer Nasir Mazhar, the exhibition covers all bases, with plenty of relevant Stephen Jones hats interspersed between.

I am an owner of the aforementioned book, and a obsessive hat wearer, so attending the exhibition made me feel like I had died and gone to hat heaven. The show spans three floors, and is divided into sections meant to display the process of creating hats, the way that they are worn, and the clients who are wearing them. One of the greatest highlights is the recreation of Jones's original studio, complete with a small Stephen Jones doll that Philip Treacy made for him after he had finished his apprenticeship.  The exhibition also includes the winner of the Talenthouse contest that I posted about earlier, Aliona Kononova, who made a spectacular dandelion shaped hat out of metal wire and magnets. I asked Jones how he selected the winner out of the five-hundred entrants, and he said that after a very difficult two day process, but Kononova's design was selected because of its hopeful and optimistic feel, and sound looking construction, which he could only judge from the photograph.  I unfortunately could not get a good photo of Kononova's design, so you will have to stop by the show yourself to take a look at it, along with the hundreds of other jaw-dropping hats on display.  The show runs until April 15th of next year.

Stephen giving the tour of the exhibition. 

A doll that Philip Treacy made of Stephen Jones after finishing his apprenticeship with him. 

A recreation of the Stephen Jones millinery studio
 

James Lock & Co. Ltd Conformator and brow hat machines that were used to measure a person's head and create a perfect custom hat pattern to fit their head shape. To the left of the machine are pieces some hat patterns from James Lock's famous customers, including one that belonged to Jackie O.

Myra, Stephen Jones, Autumn/Winter 2003

Olga Shere inspiree par Gruau, Christian Dior Haute Couture by Stephen Jones,  Automn/Winter 2007-2008

Hat with miniature boxes, created for Anna Piaggi when she moved, Student of the Institut Francais de la Mode, 2001

Mickey, Eugenia Kim, Autumn/Winter 1999

Torres Straight hat made by Stephen Jones, Spring/Summer 1996

Pom Pom hat worn by Bjork, Soren Bach, 2007

Bergere hat, France, 1760's, from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Stephen Jones for Undercover

-Tiffany

Losing My Religion

While many fashion designers have drawn inspiration from the Catholic faith, appropriating crosses, rosaries, and even clerical garb for their own twisted purposes, fewer have looked towards Judaism. It is not everyday that you hear about a designer making "couture yarmulkes," and when I heard the term I admit I initially guffawed. However, I was familiar with the label, Young&ng, and their completely unique line of statement headwear and jewelry, and knew I should take a look. The fall collection includes a jagged gold headband that slightly resembles a crown of thorns, a cuff that is cut to look like shattered glass, and of course, a metal "yarmulke crown" with a honey-comb like cutout pattern that is meant to be worn like a fascinator. Even if a bejeweled yarmulke isn't your thing (it also carries a pretty heavy pricetag of over $1000), the other pieces are undeniably rad. The very secular looking gold haircomb with a metal fractal growing out of it is more to my (atheist) liking.

-Tiffany

Stephen Jones Design Contest

Now that hats are making a comeback, it might be time to reconsider any repressed aspirations to become a milliner. What? You don't dream of becoming a fabulous hat maker? I'm an insatiable hat fiend, and I've always harbored a deep desire to return to F.I.T. for a millinery class or two. While I was there studying jewelry design, I never got the chance. Between taking practical courses to advance my career, as well as impractical and useless courses that were a complete waste of time but required by the curriculum, I just didn't have the time.

If you've ever felt similarly, now might be the time to take the plunge. Talenthouse, a website that sponsors creative contests, has just launched a new invite for aspiring milliners, with the first prize being an internship with legendary British hat designer Stephen Jones. The contest will be judged by the designer himself and Dolly Jones of Vogue, and if you're interested in submitting your designs you can enter below. If you need some additional inspiration and motivation, here are some examples of his work, as well as some photos from his studio.

-Tiffany