Stephen Jones has spent much of his professional life zooming across the Channel, and his fall collection was an homage to his heady years living between London and Paris and gallivanting from club to restaurant to café — and to the buzzy studios of Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier.
He also drew inspiration from the ’80s club scene in London, his longtime friendship with John Galliano, and his former London-based French assistant Sibylle de Saint Phalle.
The hats he was designing at the time were small — and there was good reason for that.
“We were young and had no money and were taking the Métro. You couldn’t go around with a big hat. Also, hats were small because, of course, people had to dance in them,” Jones explained during a walk-through of the collection at his shop-cum-showroom in Covent Garden.
The new designs capture his nostalgia for both cities.
Styles included a sharp pin-striped cap with a double peak, and a headband with stand-up bunny ears that could be twisted into different positions. The latter was a remake of a hat he created for de Saint Phalle.
There was a black crinoline bowler hat with a pink English blooming inside, and a big and frothy black tulle rose attached to a discreet headband.
Jones’ homage to Paris came in many forms, including an Eiffel Tower tiara made from silk ribbon, and berets galore. One had a pin featuring a miniature top hat, another was made from black vinyl, while another still had a little kiss curl on the side, a gesture of affection for Jones’ adopted city.
Jones will be spending even more time in the City of Light this year. He’s the subject of a major show that opens at Paris’ Palais Galliera in October and, on a more commercial note, he’ll also be returning to the Premiere Class trade show in the French capital for the first time since the pandemic.
