STEPHEN JONES

Here's an image I took during London Fashion Week on leading milliner Stephen Jones' stand. His ethereal designs for his eponymous collection pay homage to the sea and the artist colonies at St Ives next season and perfectly sum-up the mood for Spring/Summer 2012.

Featherlight confections by Stephen Jones

I've watched Stephen Jones' collections evolve over the years and was fortunate to interview him for The National Newspaper in the UAE when he co-curated his exhibition, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, at the V&A in 2009.  The show was a huge success and paid tribute to many of the ground-breaking millinery designers and silhouettes, including Elsa Schiaparelli's surreal shoe hat from 1938, inspired by artist Salvador Dali, plus Stephen Jones' quirky mini-top hats that he often designed for the Italian fashion maven, Anna Piaggi, who sadly recently passed away. 'I've been wearing hats all my life and Stephen knows I want something light,' Anna Piaggi told me at the exhibition's lavish launch party, 'He's very perceptive and understands what's going on in my head.'

I'll post the full interview shortly.