Hats off to legendary milliner Stephen Jones, who’ll accept the Outstanding Achievement award at Tuesday’s British Fashion Awards.
The award is given to designers whose work has extraordinarily impacted global fashion, and Jones’ hats for major fashion players including Vivienne Westwood, Jean Paul Gaultier, Giles Deacon and Zandra Rhodes have given him a major say in headwear trends. It’s no small accomplishment that he’s been the milliner for Christian Dior for 12 years.
His witty and intricate creations have topped the heads of celebs including Dita von Teese, Kylie and Boy George (and Princess Diana, for a royal connection). Cate Blanchett wore his hats in Elizabeth, The Golden Age; Keira Knightley did the same in Atonement; and so will Audrey Tautou in the upcoming French film Coco avant Chanel.
Now that the name is out for the British Fashion Council’s big gong for 2008, it’ll be interesting to see how many fashion devotees show up in hats to next week’s ceremony.
– Jill Hilbrenner
