"A hat is like having a party on your head - a fête-à-tête." Stephen Jones.
Another wonderful exhibition seen during last autumn's visit to the French capital was this at the Palais Galliera charting the career of renowned milliner Stephen Jones through the world of fashion. It describes Jones's beginnings and ascent as he negotiates his way between the two cities, each recognised as major players in the fashion cosmos - London, famous for its innovations in streetwear, and at the opposite end of the fashion spectrum, the rarefied world of haute-couture in Paris. I had never considered the sculptural qualities or complexities involved in the creation of hats previously, but on inspecting the examples displayed in Jones's exquisite works I saw the art of millinery through new eyes and with a much greater appreciation. The exhibition explains the distinctions between hat making and millinery. The former being the mass production of hats for both men and women usually in felt, straw of fabric in a small factory setting. The art of millinery however involves artistry at a more creative level, creating unique or small series generally for women. Haute mode is the hat's equivalent of haute couture for clothing with similar demands for technical creativity and uniqueness. On entering the exhibition you are guided through a series of displays featuring about 400 objects and hats which display the wit, style and development of Jones's craft. It starts with Jones's formative years in Liverpool, and then the club scene in London of the 80s where he mixed with other creatives in art, fashion and film, and then his emergence as a serious, creative milliner to the major fashion houses. The last galleries in the exhibition in which Jones's haute mode creations complete the couture outfits of designers of the stature of Galliano, Thom Browne, Thierry Mugler, Schiaparelli etc. are truly stunning, and underscore just how vital hats are to completing an outfit. I leave the last word on the exhibition to the artist himself...
Dear visitor,
Welcome to this marvellous exhibition, which follows my journey from post-Beatles Liverpool to the runways of Paris, through the most magical of accessories: hats. My hats are autobiographical. They are as varied as my clients. From the charmingly lyrical to the grandly sculptural, from the modest to the utterly extravagant. Curated by the custodians of the Palais Galliera, the exhibition celebrates Paris's influence on me, while mapping my career in the City of light, which began exactly 40 years ago. It was in 1984 that I first collaborated with fashion legends Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler; and it has continued right up to the present day, with haute-couture maisons Schiaparelli and Christian Dior, where I am Creative director of Hats. Hats fashioned like birds or clouds... hats worn by Boy George and Diana Princess of Wales... the top hat of England, the beret of France... more than 200 hats to entertain and, I hope, to inspire you.
Chapeau!
Stephen Jones.
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