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

Use Protection, Wear a Hat

Straw hat courtesy of Hat Attack, Carin Wester denim jacket, Mother x Uniqlo top, Phillip Lim x Uniqlo dress, Katherine Kwei bag, We Are Owls scarf, Charles Anastase sunglasses, Triskaidekaphobia buckle ring and tooth necklace.

In my opinion, the best thing to come out of the Royal Wedding is the revival of the millinery tradition, with plenty of stylish guests of all ages wearing fanciful hats from designers like Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. I personally didn't understand why Americans got so caught up in the whole event, seeing as we declared independence from the monarchy a couple hundred years ago, but I do admit the I became a gawking observer as soon as the headpieces started parading by. Even though Princess Beatrice received plenty of ridicule across all media outlets for her outlandish upright-ribbon number (done by Treacy of course), it was one of the most eye-catching pieces, and my favorite.

If the fussy fascinators weren't to your fancy, here's another reason to pick up a hat: May is Skin Cancer Awareness month, and a wide shady brim is one of the best ways to shield your skin from the sun (in addition to sunscreen, of course). In honor of the month, Hat Attack has partnered with 31 bloggers to help raise funds for for the fight against Skin Cancer. All of us were given a hat to style, and you can see my look along with all of the others on their website. For each of the hats sold during the month of May, Hat Attack will donate 20% of the proceeds towards the Skin Cancer Foundation.

-Tiffany

Vintage a Go Go

One of my favorite hats from the show, shaped like a painter's palette adorned with flowers, from Denyse's Closet

Twice a year, vintage clothing dealers from around the country descend on Metropolitan Pavilion for the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show. While we have plenty of high-end vintage boutiques in New York, this show is particularly noteworthy as most of the dealers bring out their oldest and most valuable pieces, which are usually kept out of customers' reach. The show organizers were kind enough to give me a press pass to view the show, but unfortunately most vendors don't allow you to take pictures of their clothes. Many of the exhibitors offer rentals for designers, who borrow vintage pieces as "inspiration" for their own collections, and obviously they do not want their pieces to be copied for free. In fact, some of the booths exclusively contained pieces that were too fragile to wear anymore, and meant to be used for design only.

The show is massive, and it helps if you have something in mind that you're looking for beforehand. I was personally on the lookout for vintage hats, which I collect, as well as another 70's era cotton Gunne Sax dress, since I get good wear out of the one I already have. The hat selection was superb, and I ended up leaving with a wide-brimmed wool felt fedora hat, while passing on a top hat, even though I've wanted one for a while. The Gunne Sax dresses however weren't as conspicuous, even though they're incredibly common. Most of the vendors focused on authentic antique and Victorian dresses rather than their less valuable, uber-scratchy "prairie revival" reincarnations.

Anyway, the next show isn't until October, but here's a selection of some of my favorite pieces. A big thank you to the vendors who allowed me to take photographs of their precious collections!

Vintage beaded necklaces at Denyse's Closet

I loved the drama of this hat from Denyse's Closet

An antique lace shawl from Denyse's closet

A gown embroidered with tiny dancers from Lisa Victoria Vintage, which is known for having an extensive collection of vintage wedding gowns

A close up of the embroidery, featuring hundreds of dancers swirling around

A mint condition Edwardian era hand-crochet lace vest from Lisa Victoria Vintage

I loved the trim on this jacket from Ritual Vintage

Some of the selection from the Ritual Vintage booth

A Pucci wrap dress from Ritual Vintage

-Tiffany

Futureheads

One of my personal favorites, a hat that Nasir Mazhar made for the Meadham Kirchhoff Fall collection

I am a hardcore hat fiend. Even on the most sweltering hot days, I find it difficult to leave the house without something to cover my skull. Many a time I've lamented the lack of proper milliners in the market, and there are only a handful who seem to be really experimenting and pushing the boundaries of design. Nasir Mazhar is one of the few, and has already worked with high profile designers such as Viktor and Rolf, Louise Gray, Thierry Mugler, and Richard Nicoll. He also frequently collaborates with Meadham Kirchhoff, and you might remember the luxuriantly bejeweled crowns and tiaras that he made to accompany the spring collection.

In addition to his frequent work for other designers, Nasir has his own very cool, and very futuristic namesake label, which is designed for women who are unafraid to take risks. Equally influenced by ravers and S&M fiends, the latest collection presents an assortment of hats built from neon fur, face braces, and metal hardware for an effect that the designer describes as part cyborg, part woman, as well as part ghetto and part gothic. For the men, Nasir made reinvented baseball caps with a boxy structure added to the brim, as well as some Russian-style winter hats. Even though many of Nasir's designs have a decidedly wicked slant, you can see that they all are based on classic forms that were just waiting to remade with a more forward-thinking touch.

The robo teddy hat

The designer wearing one of his reinvented baseball caps, this one with a pencil holder

A glittery Papal hat

Another reinvented baseball cap

A felt brim style covered in metal hardware

A Russian style winter hat for men


Another gorgeous hat that the designer made for Meadham Kirchhoff's Fall collection

-Tiffany

Going Green

The original LBD, styled very creatively. Photo courtesy of Elisa Hyman.

This season, The Green Shows provided a welcome respite from New York Fashion Week's completely spread out and harried show schedule. While most of the other venues were loud, over-crowded, and often a complete hassle to get into (cough, Milk Studios), I genuinely commend all the people behind the scenes of the Green Shows, as they put together a gorgeous and welcoming venue. Among the designers presenting were two of my friends, Eliza Starbuck who designs the line Bright Young Things, and Lopeti Etu, who showed with the Milliners Guild.

For Spring 2011, Eliza is launching her first multi-piece collection to complement her original (and now very famous) little black dress, which she created for The Uniform Project a little over a year ago. The Bright Young Things collection will feature eight items that give new life to wardrobe basics. The garments can be worn forwards, backwards, and inside out, giving the wearer the opportunity to style it hundreds of different ways. As Eliza's LBD demonstrated, with a few key accessories and styling creativity, you can wear the same piece everyday and make it look completely different. The pieces really encourage you to shop your closet and embrace the versatility of one great item rather than buying twelve different versions of it (a truly green notion that I need to learn to live by). Another great aspect of the show? The gorgeous cast of models came in all ages, races, shapes, and sizes, really showing off how real women wear the clothes, and demonstrating how exciting diversity on the runway can be when it does happen.

Another way to style the same LBD with the pleat side in the front. Photo courtesy of Elisa Hyman.

Olive coat dress worn as a jacket. Photo courtesy of Elisa Hyman.

The mini skort worn as a button front skirt. Photo courtesy of Elisa Hyman.

Ivory LBD. Photo courtesy of Elisa Hyman.

And the most fashionable way to accessorize your LBD is with a stone and pearl encrusted space helmet, of course!

I met Lopeti Etu a little while back when he was still working as a designer for Selima. He's since gone on to launch his own eponymous line, and each new hat he makes is increasingly outrageous. He presented two gigantic hats at the Milliners Guild Show, and they were certainly the showstoppers of the presentation. The seaweed and raffia hat with a bee-keeper style veil was an outfit unto itself, and his canvas hat had a five-foot diameter and was trimmed with lamp parts sourced at Ikea. I tip my hat (har har) to Lopeti for bringing back all the drama and daring associated with millinery.

Raffia and seaweed straw hat.

Canvas hat with lace trim and Ikea lamp parts at the crown

-Tiffany