Did you know? Humans have only stopped wearing hats in the last 50 years or so. “I think fashion historians will one day look back on this current time as the brief period when people didn’t wear hats,” Stephen Jones tells New York Magazine. “[It’s] just a blip in the larger history of headwear.”
Jones is the illustrious British milliner who’s designed for luminaries like Princess Diana and singer-songwriter Boy George, and collaborated with fashion fables including Balenciaga, Christian Dior, and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Photo © V&A
Thanks in no small part to Kate Middleton and the Royal Wedding, people are again reminded that hats are fun and can add instant zest to all kinds of outfits. To Jones’ delight, headgear are enjoying a surge in sales and popularity. The milliner remarks, “It’s so funny how the media, especially in America, has suddenly re-discovered hats!”
Shop: Designer Hats
Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones
The timing couldn’t have been better. Jones’ irresistible exhibition, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, at the Bard Graduate Center in Manhattan is on view now through April 15, 2012.
Jones first masterminded this exhibition last year at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), which was attended in droves during its run at the London museum.
Photo © V&A
Promises to highlight the cultural and historic importance of millinery, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones displays 250-plus exquisite headpieces, ranging from vintage to contemporary. About one-third of the hats are drawn from the V&A’s international archives; another third comprises Jones’ own creations from the past decade; while the rest are made up of items on loan.
Learn: Classic Millinery Techniques: A Complete Guide to Making & Designing Hats
The American version of the Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the Brad includes some special additions, such as:
- Andy Warhol’s wig
- Estée Lauder’s turban
- Babe Ruth’s Yankees cap
- Franklin Roosevelt’s top hat
- Darth Vader’s original helmet from 1977
- Halston bunny ears wore by Candice Bergen
- A piece made by Bill Cunningham during his brief millinery career
Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones is grouped in four main themes:
- “Inspiration” looks at myriad of sources including historicism and exoticism;
- “Creation” explores the techniques, materials, and processes;
- “The Salon” focuses on the buying and selling of hats and the millinery shop; and
- “The Client” examines the wearing and etiquette of hats as well as features headwear wore by notables like Gala Dalí, Isabella Blow, Anna Piaggi, and Dita von Teese.
Photo © V&A
The clever arrangement showcases Jones’ respectable expertise in wearable arts and his skills at telling engaging stories with his objects.
Bard Graduate Center
18 West 86th Street, New York
Tel: 212.501.3000
Email: generalinfo@bgc.bard.edu
Web: http://www.bgc.bard.edu/
Resources
- Find Best Airfares to Manhattan, New York
- Book Your Stay at The Lucerne Hotel – the closest four-star hotel to the Bard Graduate Center.
- Read Hats: An Anthology, a stunning book published to accompany the exhibition.
- Read Stephen Jones & the Accent of Fashion – the first monograph on the work of milliner Stephen Jones.
| When: | Back to Calendar » September 15, 2011 – April 15, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Categories: | United States |
| Tags: | Balenciaga Boy George Christian Dior Halston Jean Paul Gaultier New York Stephen Jones |
| Where: | Bard Graduate Center 18 W 86th St New York, NY 10024 USA |
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