Dress Your Head!
“Dress Your Head” that was the request made by the Bard Graduate Center Gala Committee who were planning a delightful evening for Stephen Jones, the British-born milliner, who has curated a fabulous exhibition for them. The exhibition, “Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones” (on view September 15, 2011- April 15, 2012) is a collaboration between Jones and the Victoria + Albert Museum in London. This is the show’s first stop in the US but when it opened in London, some 100,000 visitors came to see it! “Hats” is a fascinating view at the evolution of hats, one of my favorite accessories,
While I am no Patrick McMullan (who did snap a photo of my friend Deirdre and I at the Gala) nor am I Bill Cunningham (who was there capturing all of the juicy bits of the evening), I did manage to take some shots too. I could not resist! As you will see, New Yorkers are very obedient. Here are some of the most memorable hats of the night.
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| Deirdre Pontbriand wearing a lampshade-hat of her own design |
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| Michelle Harper |
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| Blu Kokin |
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| Christian Dior Haute Couture Hat by Stephen Jones, “Olga Sherer inspiree par Gruau”, Autumn/Winter 2007-2008 |
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| Dr. Michelle Clough |
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| Mary Anna Smith, the milliner behind The Tipsy Topper |
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| Stephen Jones |
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| A party-goer wearing one of Jones’s famous shoe hats |
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| Another lovely Victorian-inspired hat |
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| Earl Martin |
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| Su Hilty and her New York City hat |
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| Lisa Carey |
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| Anne Koch |
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| Susanne Bartsch |
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| Patrick McDonald |
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| Bella Neyman |
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| Surrealist-inspired shoe hats, including the one that Dali created for Elsa Schiaparelli in 1937 |
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| Kirsten Woodward, Sex on the Brain, 1996, courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
ooohh I adore hats and would love to see the exhibition. The Christian Dior Haute Couture Hat still looks sleek today.
A person can wear an absolutely plain dress or suit on the body, but top it off with something wonderful in the hat department. Feathers, jewellery, velvet trims, flowers, even netting – all good.
I have 12 winter hats, made mostly of felt. And 12 summer hats, made mostly of straw
Did you know that when the Hats show was at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia, 1/4 million people went to see it!
Take some photos of your hats and post them! I would love to see them…