Princess Diana's Hats. . . .

Graham Smith (milliner), Small, head, tiny roses, black and white chic,
Henry Clarke, British Vogue, 1965

I have been distracted from the blog lately with seemingly-endless tasks. . . Nonetheless, starting the shells of a list of entries that I am eager to share when time allows. My thanks goes to the team at HATalk who just shared this video on their Facebook page. It is a lovely collage of Princess Diana's style. An array of her millinery 'dot's on the "i"' or 'exclamation points'!

I think Graham Smith and later, Stephen Jones, were favorite milliners of the Princess.

I want to explore Smith's career with some gusto over the holiday break. and promise to share some of the treasures discovered.

Enjoy the video!
Best,

Princess Diana's Hats. . . .

What is couture now? . . .

The Ukranian Fashionista, Daria Shapovalova, reports behind-the-scenes footage from Paris Couture . . .

What is couture now?

"the laboratory of ideas . . it's not what it used to be. . we need very incredible things, even if we cannot afford them. when we go into a museum we see Picasso. . . . we can't buy one, but we are very happy that they exist."

Cellophane in millinery?
(the magical, uninhibited
Galliano/Jones collaboration lives on!). . .

Thank you, Daria and Nowness for this report.

What is couture now? . . .

Stephen Jones & the OBE. . . .

It has just come to my attention that milliner extraordinaire, Stephen Jones, was awarded membership in the Order of the British Empire (a step toward Knighthood) last week (Feb, 2010) for his service to the Fashion Industry.

Jones chats about the world of millinery in the interview below, and a video I just found of his collaboration with Galliano for the Spring/Summer 2010 collection follows.

Finally, a story by Suzie Menkes in the New York Times (Feb. 21, 2010) briefly describes Stephen Jones' 2010 Fall Collection preview and a student exhibition organized by him at Somerset House (cleverly entitled, "Headonism") in London. It is a real teaser! I promise to share photos /videos when I find them.

Stephen Jones & the OBE. . . .

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - Part 3, Victoria and Albert Museum - London

Millinery in action: making a hat in the Stephen Jones workroom from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

The millinery workroom or atelier is the creative laboratory where hat designs are transformed from ideas into reality. In this video you can see one of Stephen Jones' creations come to life.

In the words of Stephen Jones, a milliner’s workroom is ‘half Aladdin’s cave and half artist’s studio’, a place where each hat is carefully coaxed into being.

This video was made for the Victoria & Albert Museum's exhibition 'Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones' 24 February - 31 May 2009. See www.vam.ac.uk/hats for more information.

I hope you enjoy this glimpse at the art of millinery!

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - Part 3, Victoria and Albert Museum - London

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - Part 2, Victoria and Albert Museum - London

On Location: An interview with Stephen Jones from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

Milliner Stephen Jones talks about his life, work and style. Produced for the exhibition 'Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones' 24 February - 31 May 2009 at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. See www.vam.ac.uk/hats for more information.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - Part 2, Victoria and Albert Museum - London

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - Part 1, Victoria and Albert Museum - London

Enjoy the photos of people who attended the opening of the Exhibition, "Hats: An Anthology" at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. . . and the video interview with the creators of this historical exhibit, milliner - Stephen Jones and curator - Oriole Cullen.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - The Private View from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

"A hat makes clothing identifiable, dramatic - and, most importantly, Fashion. . . Its the cherry on the cake, the dot on the 'i', the exclamation mark, the fashion focus. Everyone from showgirls to dictators knows that by wearing a hat they will be the centre of attention." Stephen Jones

Enough said. . . I hope you enjoy the video!

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones - Part 1, Victoria and Albert Museum - London

The Stephen Jones & John Galliano collaboration - Spring, 2010. . .

The friendship and uninhibited collaboration between Jones and Galliano is a designer's dream. Almost 2 decades of joint fantasy have resulted in some of the greatest examples of imagination made real. The Spring, 2010 collection is yet another flight of fantasy made real. . . runway surreality! Not many of us lead lives that support a wardrobe of such designs, but it is a pleasure to step into their visual world of endless imagination. What an adventure it must be to be able to indulge in such creative freedom. The artistry is both theatrical and inspirational: Stephen Jones & John Galliano

Vlada Roslyakova (Women)

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/collections/S2010RTW/

Daria Strokous (Women)

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

Chanel Iman (Viva)

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

Siri Tollerod (Marilyn)

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

Lindsay Ellingson (Viva)

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

Karlie Kloss (Next)

Photo: Don Ashby & Olivier Claisse

Thank you, gentlemen, for this fantastic escape from the mundane realities of life. . . .

May your own imaginings be equally inspirational,

The Stephen Jones & John Galliano collaboration - Spring, 2010. . .