24 posts tagged "Stephen Jones"
The Only Way Is Ascot
No hat, no entrance. Such are the rules of the Royal Ascot, the U.K.’s most prestigious horse race, sartorially and otherwise, and the functional English equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. Founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, the meet, which runs from June 19-23, attracts everyone from Liz Hurley to the Royals for five days of celebration, steeds, and, of course, spectacular headgear. “I couldn’t have imagined it in my wildest dreams. It’s sort of like heaven!” says up-and-coming English milliner Noel Stewart, who, along with Piers Atkinson, Charlie Le Mindu, J. Smith Esquire, and William Chambers, will showcase his hats at the races in the Stephen Jones-curated Headonism exhibition, sponsored by the Royal Ascot and the British Fashion Council. “It’s the highlight of a milliner’s year and crucially important from a business standpoint. It’s Christmas and Thanksgiving and everything else all rolled into one!” adds Jones, who, in addition to crafting a slew of Ascot hats, is in the midst of creating headpieces for Raf Simons’ debut Dior Couture show.
However, due to a few subpar skin-baring ensembles from years past, Ascot has tightened up its 2012 dress code. Fascinators have been banned in the Royal Enclosure, the race’s most exclusive viewing section (according to Ascot, they’re a “convenient way out” and not in line with formal daywear), and ladies must wear headpieces no smaller than four inches in diameter, as well as day dresses of “modest length” whose straps are at least one inch wide. (The powers that be have suggested the look at left as an example of race-appropriate garb: dress by Nicholas Oakwell, shoes by Bally, and hat by Stephen Jones.) Gents are required to turn up in a top hat and tails. “The new rules are about being more ‘English summer party’ than ‘pop star fleshy,’ ” says Atkinson, who designed a special Racing Collection (below), each hat from which adheres to Ascot’s regulations. His strawberries-and-cream-inspired toppers will be on sale at his pop-up shop at London’s Saint Martins Lane Hotel, open from today until the end of June. Continue Reading “The Only Way Is Ascot” »
Will You Keep It Surreal This Season?
With Impossible Conversations, the Schiaparelli/Prada Costume Institute exhibit fast approaching, perhaps it’s no surprise that surrealism has again found its way into fashion’s collective (un)conscious. Elsa Schiaparelli famously collaborated with the likes of Salvador Dalí, and Miuccia Prada has done more for the cause of surreal style than anyone since. And there were more than a few designs on the Fall runways that echoed the theme.
At Lanvin, Alber Elbaz and Elie Top nodded at artists like Man Ray and Joan Miró with playful costume jewelry such as crystal eye brooches and a chain belt with plastic lips. Diane von Furstenberg referenced the movement, too, with interlocking hands on a body-hugging dress. Some designs, like Mary Katrantzou‘s digitally printed labyrinth gown, made the surreal wearable, and some, like Stephen Jones’ spiny headpieces for Giles (left), seemed destined to stay on the runway—or perhaps, one day, the museum gallery.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW, and let us know if you’ll be keeping it surreal this season.
Celebrity Stylist Luncheon Set For March, Stephen Jones Talks About His Marc Jacobs Hats, Inside Margherita Missoni’s Apartment, And More…
The first-ever celebrity stylist luncheon, held by The Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo in sync with the publication’s 25 Most Powerful Stylists List, is set for March 14. Editors are holding out on making their final decisions until after the Oscars this weekend. [WWD]
Milliner Stephen Jones is the master behind the elaborate floppy hats at the Marc Jacobs show. Of the 60 hats, which he started work on back in November, he says, “Marc had this idea about the face being surrounded by volume and about beauty. We researched Edwardian shapes and Veronica Lake shapes.” [Vogue U.K.]
For its second feature story, the newly launched site LifeStyle Mirror was welcomed inside Margherita Missoni’s Milan apartment. In the film, Missoni talks about her early love of fashion. [LifeStyle Mirror]
Alessandro Dell’Acqua has expanded his No. 21 women’s line to include shoes. Dell’Acqua has signed a two-year licensing agreement with Italian shoemaker Kallisté for the shoe line, which will officially debut in Milan today. [WWD]
Istanbul’s “Sense Of Opportunity And Possibility” Draws A Crowd—Including Dunst, Swinton, Ackermann, And Love
Istanbul’s population unofficially tops 16 million. This past weekend, it felt like every single one of them owned a car—or at least was driving one. Guests at Istancool—the second Istanbul International Festival of Culture, to give it its full title—became intimately acquainted with the world through a minibus window as they negotiated the route from the Edition Hotel (seven stars! and a Snow Room!) to the various venues around the city. It was a useful education. Istanbul sits at a huge crossroads, geographically (obviously) but also conceptually. Michael Stipe, there for a presentation of his Collapse Into Now film project, went so far as to compare Istanbul’s “sense of opportunity and possibility” to the feeling New York has always given him. The project—a work in progress—has been corralling filmmakers to produce short pieces to accompany songs on the latest R.E.M. album. Liberatum offered a first view of a fast, furious, and funny film James Franco has made for “That Someone Is You,” which was the kind of coup that is critical to the festival’s success, according to Jefferson Hack, who hosted the Stipe event. (His magazine Another was the festival’s media collaborator.)
A different kind of coup was the presence of Kirsten Dunst and Tilda Swinton, both just off the plane from Cannes, where Dunst won Best Actress for Lars von Trier’s Melancholia. At 29, she has already spent more than two decades onscreen and experienced as many character-building extremes as show business can hurl at a young woman. (Lest we forgot, the heavily accented English translator of her Turkish introduction sonorously intoned, “We know her as the lover of the spiderman.”) Nevertheless, Dunst was gratifyingly, girlishly floored by her Cannes award. And she looked appropriately radiant in her Chanel couture at Istancool’s gala dinner. Continue Reading “Istanbul’s “Sense Of Opportunity And Possibility” Draws A Crowd—Including Dunst, Swinton, Ackermann, And Love” »
Shala Monroque On Thomas Tait: “A Cross Between Celine And Vintage Balenciaga”
“Those outfits would have been great for someone for the Met ball,” Shala Monroque said as she eyed Thomas Tait’s collection, which stood on display last night at the Palace Hotel. “It feels like a cross between Celine and vintage Balenciaga.”
Tait won the first Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize last year, awarded by a panel that included Manolo Blahnik, Stephen Jones, and Daphne Guinness. Monroque—who we wouldn’t be surprised to see stepping out in one of Tait’s two-tone multi-pleated leather skirts—is one of the judges for this year’s competition. Joining her on the panel (and at last night’s event) were some of her fellow jurors, Giovanna Battaglia, Francisco Costa, Thom Browne, and Derek Blasberg.
The designer who takes the prize this year has a lot to live up to. Tait’s modern, sleek aesthetic was the talk of the evening, inviting comparisons with designers like Costa. The Calvin Klein Collection creative director himself admitted as much. “I am so very impressed and excited by such young talent,” Costa marveled. “You don’t see this often.”
Canadian-born Tait remained modest. “I just want to be happy and keep my hands in the work that I’m doing as I expand my business,” he said, sipping the namesake cocktail Belvedere created for the occasion, an electric blue blueberry concoction. Expanding is what he’s doing, both with his own collection and a new leather capsule range with retailer ASOS. “It’s nice to be reaching an audience that might be familiar with my work, but they might not be able to afford it,” he told Style.com.