Further to yesterday’s millinery post, I received this press release from Soren Bach’s PR. Talk about perfect timing!
LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION MA GRADUATE SHOWCASE
Millinery: Created and Curated
An exhibition of millinery from MA Fashion Curation graduate Gemma Williams
4th – 6th February in the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1.
This exhibition examines how hats relate to the body and how they engage with hair from a museological perspective.
The exhibition includes work by Yasmin Rivzi, J Smith Esquire, Søren Bach, Victoria Grant, Noel Stewart, Piers Atkinson, Louis Mariette, Flora McLean, Andrea Ayala, Dai Rees & Adele Mildred.
Ever since I created a Disneyrollergirl email address (it only took two years!), I have had a steady flow of emails from brands and designers proffering press releases. It’s strange as I prefer to discover things for myself rather than have them presented to me on a plate but I do take the time to check out all the websites to see if any gems await. Shopcurious.com is a newish website carrying ‘a range of unique accessories, unusual gifts, designer vintage items and pieces for wardrobe and home.’ Owner Susan Muncey used to run a lovely eclectic boutique called Fashion Gallery and has brought her discerning eye to the online shopping arena.
The vintage selection is a highlight, from extremely tempting Hermes classic scarves (£95 with box) and bourgeois Celine handbags to an array of opulent but well-priced kimonos (I have actually been seriously lusting a kimono recently). Plus, how now is this Genny dress from 1990? The pièce de résistance however is surely this Fiorucci Minnie Mouse sweatshirt. OMG, it’s so me! Not everything is in the £100+ bracket. In the gift section I love this make-up bag with its mad illustration and kitsch lipstick pen (did I mention I collect kitsch pens?) and there is also a small selection of Bebaroque tights for those who like to lavish attention on their legs (and I know there are a number of you). All in all, I love the feel of this site, it really is like a curiosity shop – addictive and full of charm.
Milliners are like buses, nothing for ages then a whole procession of them arrive at once. Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy were for a long time the only hatters worth knowing. Philip Treacy’s fashion shows were a huge fanfare with fabulous models like Susie Bick and Grace Jones cavorting on the catwalk, dynamic music and an overall party-party atmosphere. Meanwhile Stephen Jones has been busying himself for years, nay decades, without quite so much pomp, yet fashioning hats season after season for Galliano, Dior, Comme and a fleet of other designers to boot. This month he is curating his two-years-in-the-making exhibition, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones and there is certainly a buzz around it. But there’s also a buzz around millinery in general.
When I saw Grace Jones at the Roundhouse last week it was an all-round gobsmacking experience. From the people-watching (Judy Blame wearing a bra…on his face) to the music (I literally swooned during La Vie En Rose) to the showmanship, but the star attraction was the Philip Treacy hat-fest – a different one for each outfit change. But the end of the noughties has coralled in a whole new generation of bonce-beautifiers…
Justin Smith Esquire is an ex-hairdresser whose star is on the rise. His vintage-referenced hats have more than a touch of English eccentricity about them – how special are these bespoke numbers?
I love the theatrical grandeur of Louis Mariette’s fanciful adornments. Not only does he make hats but also jewellery, belts…even eyepatches dammit! Piers Atkinson makes sometimes-macabre-sometimes-cartoony hats. Last season he did a Mickey Mouse ears theme including a neon headpiece in collaboration with Darren West. This season I’m loving his brilliantly bonkers stuffed-toy hat. I’d wear one! Atkinson tells me he has two hats in the V&A exhibition and is currently working on the hats for the Ashish show so I’m hoping for colour and maybe a bit of sparkle.
Finally, my favourite. Soren Bach is another hairdresser-slash-hatter (how many more are there I wonder). I saw these amazing multi-coloured fur hats a few seasons ago at London Fashion Week and have never forgotten them. I think they were from his RCA graduate collection but I’d love to see more from him.
Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones opens on 24th February at the V&A
“We have to lower our prices. For the past month I have personally been on the phone asking our manufacturers, our fabric makers, all our suppliers to give us a better price.” Alber Elbaz on the subject of luxury goods pricing in this very interesting WSJ article
