The crowning glory

Milliner Stephen Jones has worked with an impressive roster of designers, but his next stop is the high street, says Gemma Hayward

Stephen Jones is fashion royalty the world over, thanks to the marvellous hats he has been creating since the early Seventies. His millinery for designers and brands reads like a fairy-tale: Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, Dior, Comme des Garçons and Jean-Paul Gaultier to name but a few, and the late Princess Diana was also a regular client.

Those not au fait with the catwalk collections of Paris shouldn’t worry though, as now his expertise, at a more affordable price, is available in a department store near you. Debenhams is the lucky sore to secure a capsule collection from the designer, which comprises more than 20 hats and six handbags.

“I wanted to create a collection which really expresses the excitement of Stephen Jones. Working with Debenhams, I feel it brings my individual and very British style of millinery to a wider fashion public,” says Jones. “I am extremely proud of the finished collection.”

And so he should be, there is something to suit everyone from cloches and Mary Poppins-style vintage styles to more modern fascinators with plumes of netting and giant bows.

Prices range from £30 for a jewel encrusted band to £110 for a wide-brimmed number that will be a perfect partner for any summer wedding.