Hats

Sonnet and I visit Hats at the V&A, which opened to the public Monday to great fanfare and a party with Kanye West and others. Sonnet hangs. The display is really about Stephen Jones, who is Britain's, and indeed the world's top milliner. Born in Chishire and schooled in Liverpool, Jones hit the London fashion scene during its explosion of street style in the late seventies - Ozzie and Vivian were coming up then. He opened his first shop, in Covent Garden, in 1980 and while he hatted many musicians and celebrities, Boy George was his Big Break. Who of my era can forget that look? Jones made millinery seem modern and compelling using materials that were often radical, and in designs that ranged from refined to whimsical, his exquisitely crafted, quixotic hats encapsulated the fashion mood of the moment. My favorites include ostriche and peacock feathers; improbable cubes and circles, braids and wraps and colours. Colour! From BG, Jones went on to Diana's petites and Kylie Minogue's showgirl headdresses - while, for Dita Von Teese, the burlesque super-star, he fashioned the tiniest of tricornes. He designed hats for the Rolling Stones and Marilyn Manson and his roster today includes Pink, Gwen Stefani, Beyonce Knowles and Alison Goldfrapp. Sonnet's colleague Oriele curated the display and bravo to her!

"Stephen Jones is the maker of the most beautiful hats in the world."
Anna Piaggi, Italian Vogue

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
The Beatles, Abbey Road

Photo of Stephen Jones from www.catwalk.com