It's rather nice, though, as the exhibition is in its final weeks to look back to its opening day amidst the bustle of fashion week.
It was very interesting to watch the many women sporting little fascinators and whimsical head pieces as they wander around the Victoria and Albert Museum. Of course, it is the perfect marrying of exhibitions. Having escaped the from the couture cattle market that is London Fashion Week at the Natural History Museum, Stephen Jones' Hats: an Anthology was the perfect retreat from the madness, set in a magical box hedged Baroque Garden. The retrospective was a homage of sorts to Cecil Beaton's 1971 show Fashion: an Anthology which successfully raised the profile of fashion and put the museum firmly on the map. Jones' intention was to do the same for the beloved hat. As he says "I simply live my life and put it into a hat" and proclaims that for London "the hat is, and always has been embedded in the city's culture."
As you walk around the exhibition you discover how true this is, from the beefeater to the bowler, British classic style has truly been exemplified by hat. Yet, the hat occupies an odd niche area within fashion, departing from the traditional necessity for a woman, as Jones highlights
"Did you know that during the Second World War, everything was rationed apart from hats and lipstick? The Government said it would be too demoralising for women to go without them. They were absolutely right."
In modern culture the hat makes a statement, whether you are on the grass at Ascot or sat in St. James' Park in a straw boater they bring a new dimension to any outfit.
Jones' creations almost fall into the postmodern simulacrum idea in that they have become so iconic that seeing them in reality is on odd feeling. Every piece in the show is displayed like a work of art and in so many ways this is exactly what they are. From the rabbit ears for Comme des Garcons to the glorious Pac-Man helmuts for the Giles S/S 09, Jones' has created a legacy for himself with a ever-strengthening relationship with the designer and celebrity. His pieces are combined with a whole host of hats with Schiaperelli's elegant yet eccentric Stiletto hat placed opposite to a 2007 plastic Disney Princess tiara. It seems the desire for the exhibition is not just to display hats of detail, historical significance or personal importance but to create something that highlights the plethora of ideas the tiny three letter word 'hat' actually encompasses.
"Hats are for everyone – old and young alike," said Jones. "They are complete eye candy, and in times of recession, they are more important than ever because they are so optimistic and frivolous when everything else is so serious and gloomy."
This exhibition not is not only a wonderful retrospective and historical display but it really does inspire you, whether it's a beret or a breton the hat is the piece to invest in.
Hats: An Anthology is open until the 31st May
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