London Fashion Week: master milliner Stephen Jones wears many hats

In a millinery in central London, fascinated
guests Friday tried on hats of different shapes and sizes, leaning in to smell
one made of chocolate, and another with an aroma of autumn.

Legendary British hat-maker Stephen Jones explored the senses for his
Autumn-Winter 2025 presentation at London Fashion Week, with hats of satin,
tartan, crepe and even glass on display.

“I was thinking about how people connected through hats, and so it’s about
sight, and taste, and touch,” Jones, who also designs hats for Dior, told AFP
at his studio in Covent Garden.

Feathers floated atop a delicate fascinator, icy beads dangled down from
another headband, and Jones described a black satin flatcap with white piping
as “assured” and “fun”.

“What is fashion about? Is fashion a uniform? Is fashion self-expression?

Can fashion be fun? So that’s why this collection came about,” Jones said.
In the background, one guest tried on a hat with gauzy petals piled high,
exclaiming, “It’s so strange, when I take the hat off, I feel naked.”

The centre of attraction was a Willy Wonka-esque top hat made of chocolate
with a bite-size hole in its crown, which Jones crafted in collaboration with
Paris-based patissiere Jana Lai.

Jones has already had an order for the hat from a “lady who wants to wear
it for her birthday party”, and said the confectionary head covering can be
worn by “anyone”.

“Not somewhere too hot though”, he mused.

‘Celebrating life’

From plush berets for Princess Diana to towering headdresses strutted down
Dior runways, Jones’s hats have served as the crowning glory of celebrities
and designers for over four decades.

His work is currently on display in a retrospective at Paris’s Palais
Galliera called “Stephen Jones, Chapeaux d’Artiste”, which brings together
some 170 hats spanning his career.

Jones, 67, was born “near Liverpool, in the middle of nowhere”.

“So for me, Paris was always such an exciting place,” said Jones, who
divides his time between London and Paris.

“Paris has always influenced my work,” he added, a customary brown beret
balancing on his head.

Jones crafted his first hat when he was a student at London’s Central Saint
Martins out of a cereal box and scraps from his sister’s blouse.

That sense of whimsy and innovation never really went away.

“Everything else can be super serious, but fashion and hats need to be
about celebrating life,” he said. “Especially at the moment.”

For the millinery guru, it was “strange” to be taking part in fashion week
at a time of global political uncertainty.

“But that’s what fashion does. At least you can control how you get dressed
in the morning.”

Jones has collaborated with designers from Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul
Gaultier to Maison Margiela and Comme des Garcons, all while gracing the heads
of A-listers — including styling Rihanna in an embellished bishop’s mitre for
the Met Gala in 2018.

“Hats are so popular because it’s like a talisman of something. It’s a
talisman of hope,” said Jones.

“People wear jackets and tailoring and shoes… But to show your
individuality, maybe a hat is a very good way of doing that.”

Despite dressing a roster of fashion royalty, Jones said he still has not
made a hat for Britain’s Queen Camilla.

“The Queen hasn’t worn my hats yet. Maybe one day I’ll make a hat (for
her),” said Jones.

After 45 years of presenting collections, how does he keep pulling ideas
out of his hat?

“I guess that’s my character. I live my life, and put it into a hat.”(AFP)