Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones September 15, 2011 to April 15, 2012 Featuring Mover and Shaker Ellen Christine, Official Milliner of Whom You Know
Peachy wearing an Ellen Christine Fascinator
Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones—a collaboration between the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Stephen Jones, the world’s foremost hat designer—is at the Bard Graduate Center (BGC) in New York City from September 15, 2011 to April 15, 2012. It is the first venue in this country. The exhibition, which had over 100,000 visitors at the V&A, displays more than 250 hats chosen with the expert eye of the master milliner.
On display are hats ranging from a twelfth-century Egyptian fez to a 1950s Balenciaga hat and couture creations by Jones and his contemporaries. To show the universal appeal of wearing hats, Jones has chosen a wide variety of styles such as motorcycle helmets, turbans, berets, and a child’s plastic tiara. There also are hats worn by celebrities such as Madonna, Brad Pitt and Keira Knightley. For the special exhibition at the BGC, the curators have arranged for loans particularly relevant to the United States, including Babe Ruth’s baseball cap, Mouseketeer ears, Estee Lauder’s turban, Halston bunny ears worn by Candace Bergen to Truman Capote’s Black &White Ball, and the top hat worn by President Franklin Roosevelt to his fourth inauguration. There will also be a display of work by contemporary New York milliners: Ellen Christine, Rod Keenan, Eugenia Kim, Lola, Jennifer Ouellette, Albertus Swanepoel, and Patricia Underwood.
Stephen Jones said: “I was honored when the V&A asked me to curate an exhibition about hats. I had so much fun finding unique head decoration in the most interesting of places. This exhibition draws on millinery collections world-wide and is truly an eclectic and exciting anthology of hats from the last millennium to the present day.”
Stephen Jones spearheaded the fashionable revival of British millinery in the early 1980s. Using unusual materials and daring designs, his exquisitely crafted hats have pushed the boundaries of hat design forward for more than three decades. Jones has collaborated with many leading fashion designers including Marc Jacobs, Comme des Garçons, and Christian Dior. He has worked with many celebrity clients including Diana, Princess ofWales, Dita von Teese, Mick Jagger, and Rihanna, and has made hats for the films Atonement, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Coco avant Chanel, and W.E.
Exhibition
The exhibition is divided into several sections that reveal the practice of creating hats, how they are worn, by whom, and how they are presented to the client.
Inspiration, the first section, looks at how common themes such as exoticism, modernism, and the natural world have inspired countless designers. It shows historic and contemporary interpretations of hat types such as the tricorne, bowler, baseball cap, bonnet, skullcap, and many more.
Creation shows how hats are made and the traditions, innovations, and practices at the heart of millinery. This area is set up like a milliner’s workroom, with patterns, sketches, materials, and millinery blocks..
The Salon reflects the milliner’s public showcase, featuring spectacular hats that reveal the craft at its sartorial best. On display are designs by Philip Treacy, Bill Cunningham, Mr. John, Lily Daché, Mitza Bricard for Christian Dior, Misa Harada for Yohji Yamamoto, and Chanel.
In The Client, visitors can see hats worn by famous clients including Sarah Jessica Parker, Mick Jagger, Brad Pitt, Cecil Beaton, members of the British royal family, and avid collectors such as Isabella Blow and Italian Vogue’s Anna Piaggi. Also on display will be iconic headwear such as Marlene Dietrich’s beret and AndyWarhol’s wig.
The exhibition also features a selection of archive film footage plus a film showing a couture hat being made in Jones’ atelier.
The Book
The book is by Stephen Jones and Oriole Cullen, curator of textiles and fashion at the V&A. Published by V&A Publishing, the book draws on Jones’ unparalleled body of work and the V&A’s extensive collection of hats. Also featured are key pieces from international hat collections and design houses. Lawrence Mynott’s specially commissioned illustrations preface chapters that examine the milliner’s inspiration, the creation and process of making, how to buy a hat, and the etiquette of hat-wearing.
Special Events
The BGC is hosting a Scholarship Fund gala in honor of Stephen Jones on Tuesday, September 13. It will include a silent auction of hats made by non-millinery designers and creatives including architect Frank O. Gehry, Yoko Ono, Hamish Bowles, Diane von Furstenburg, and Lulu Guinness. Contributors include jewelers, furniture designers, journalists, fashion designers, artists, graphic designers, musicians, and a chef.
The BGC is offering a special series of lectures, study days, gallery talks, and conversations in conjunction with the exhibition.
For further information, please call 212-501-3011 or e-mail programs@bgc.bard.edu
Exhibition Tours
Group exhibition tours for adult and school groups are offered Tuesday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and on Thursdays until 7 p.m. Reservations are required for all groups. To schedule a tour, please call 212-501-3013 or email tours@bgc.bard.edu.
The Bard Graduate Center is located in New York City at 18West 86th Street, between Central ParkWest and Columbus Avenue. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The admission fee is $7 general, $5 seniors and students (with valid ID); admission is free on Thursday evenings after 5 p.m. For more information about the Bard Graduate Center and upcoming exhibitions, please visit bgc.bard.edu.
Support
The Bard Graduate Center's presentation of Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones has been generously supported by Kangol.
Exhibition organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
