Viva Lewes Issue #150 March 2019

ON THIS MONTH: HATS
Stephen Jones
Hats at the Royal Pavilion
If hats could talk, one can
only imagine the conversations
that might take place
between those currently on
display in the Royal Pavilion’s
Banqueting Hall. The 26
‘seated’ at the banqueting table
where the Prince Regent
once hosted his lavish dinner
parties are – but for one – all
the work of Stephen Jones, a
milliner whose list of famous
clients would stretch all the
way down Madeira Drive.
In this particular exhibit, the
centrepiece of a spectacular
career-spanning retrospective,
Tilda Swinton (or her
headpiece, at least) mingles
with Cindy Crawford; Lady
Gaga could swap gossip
with Princess Diana, and
Mick Jagger share a drink
with Kate Moss. At the head
of the table, of course, sits
Prinny himself, in a felt
hat Jones copied from the
painting of the Prince Regent
at the National Portrait
Gallery. The only person not
represented by a Stephen
Jones hat is Jones himself,
who has chosen instead his
grandfather’s top hat: “I have
a rather strange head shape,”
he explains, “and obviously
it comes from him because it
fits me perfectly.”
The exhibition, staged in
partnership with Harvey
Nichols and seven years in
the making, spans a career
of nearly four decades, from
Jones’ early days partying
with – and making hats for –
Boy George at London’s legendary
Blitz Club through his
collaborations with designers
including Dior, Giles Deacon
and Comme des Garçons
up to more recent creations
The Mad Hatter 2013 and hat for Thom Browne AW14 in the Kitchen. Photos © Tessa Hallmann/Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
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