Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones began as a collaboration between the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Stephen Jones, legendary milliner who has collaborated with Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs and Comme des Garçons among others.  The exhibition had over 350,000 visitors in London and Australia and now travels to the Bard Graduate Center in New York for its first U.S. presentation.

Designs by Philip Treacy, Chanel and Yohji Yamamoto are displayed, as well as hats worn by Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna and Mick Jagger, and avid collectors like Isabella Blow. The exhibition includes Jones’ curated collection of couture headwear along with special loans found only in the U.S., including Babe Ruth’s baseball cap and a top hat worn by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

M. Galliano always lets his imagination run wildest and this AW10 collection was no exception, with the wildness evident in the design of the dresses and in the runway itself. From the shape of the dresses, the elaborate rouching. the layers of tulle and the vibrant colors, to the innovative Stephen Jones headpieces that would look more at home around a bouquet of hydrangeas, this Dior collection was certainly in full bloom. Get it, flowers? Yet, it still felt true to what Christian Dior envisioned over fifty years ago. After all, these clothes, no matter how fantastical, are still beautiful (do yourself a favor and acquaint yourselves with the last few dresses for an organza orgasm), still wearable and still above all, still feminine.

“I remember the first time I met Stephen Jones – it was in a club, in the Eighties, and I was a student at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design and obsessed with my work. The first time I asked him if he would do some hats for me, he just turned, looked at me and said, ‘I don’t think so, dear’” recalls Galliano, with whom Jones has since worked his millinery magic on creations for both John Galliano and Dior collections.

“I am so glad he had a change of heart. Just as I wouldn’t leave the house without a hat, I couldn’t do a show now without Stephen Jones,” Galliano writes in this weekend’s Style magazine. “I am thrilled that Stephen Jones has gathered an exhibition of treasures together for the Victoria & Albert Museum. He conjures up creations that bring Galliano and Dior shows to life, and he is the icing on any collection he touches.”

LINKAGE: UK Vogue

“It’s a violet that’s been hit by a meteorite,” hat maker Stephen Jones on his new Commes des Garcons perfume.