Hats – An Anthology by Stephen Jones at Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane

“The exhibition itself is free” I was told as I sat, upright and rigid, in my space on the plane to Brisbane. My expectations upon hearing this were suddenly lowered. A free exhibition, I thought, would give us a handful of Stephen Jones’ pieces and an overpriced souvenir shop. This trip could turn into a small disaster, I thought, as I imagined the most disappointed face I could on my mother’s face...

Well, I am delighted to say that I was wrong... very wrong. There would be far more than a few hats on display, and the expression on my mother’s face would be one of awe, longing and inspiration. Just across the river, along the aptly named “Southbank”, rests the Brisbane Art Museum. I wouldn’t say it is the most externally aesthetically pleasing piece of architecture, but who cares when all that matters is what it holds within! This gallery seems to be like most galleries. Open spaces, lots of glass cabinets, and multiple paintings on white walls. I scan the large rooms for a sign of Stephen Jones. “Down the stairs and to your right”, we are told by a short by happy-to-be-there lady of the Museum. And, suddenly, this Gallery becomes different to most. There is a separate area. An area created just for Stephen Jones to present what he refers to as his “very personal anthology of hats, a mish-mash of dates, places, stories and illusion...”. The dedicated Stephen Jones space is a cave within the Gallery, with four separate, but very connected, chambers. The cave is complete with an arched-window-shaped entrance. Inside is darker than outside, and as you take your first art-gallery-pace steps into the first chamber, you are suddenly disconnected from the outside world. Time doesn’t matter anymore. Only headwear, creativity and artistry. A large glass cabinet lines the left-hand side wall of the first chamber. I immediately recognise Stephen’s Union Jack top hat. Some of you will have seen this in the window of Le Louvre in Collins Street Melbourne last year, others of you will know it from the cover of Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones (V&A 2009) and some of you will know that it was worn by Anna Piaggi, Italian fashion writer, and regular wearer of a Stephen Jones hat.

The cabinet’s contents are not all Stephen’s creations. He will not tell this story alone. The creations are deliberately not categorised in time zones or styles, but tend to be grouped for likeness. There is a cluster of geometric shapes, one of helmets, hoods, and bonnets. Think of a riding helmet that Cadel Evans might wear resting just a few hats up from Stephen Jones’ Thunderbird, a lollipop-stick creation made for Galliano in 1996, and then, just a few along from that, an every-day rain hood. Each hat rests on a clear mannequin head. You barely notice the heads, which creates an illusion that these artworks are, in fact, floating. The second chamber showcases millinery materials and the different ways one might, and one actually has, decided to use them: straw; wool; felt; flowers; paper; plastic; embellishment; feathers. In this chamber you will find Stephen Jones’ well-known paint palette hat. Created for Dior and used as the exhibition’s signature image, it holds centre position in the “embellishment” cabinet. But, in my view, it by no means dominates. Each cabinet holds a balanced selection of examples of the material in form. From the “plastic” cabinet the highlight for me was Stephen’s “Wash and Go” hat; from the “wool” cabinet, Stephen Jones’ quirky cooked breakfast beret; from the “feather” cabinet, Philip Treacy’s pink goose feather hat (pictured); from the “shoe” cabinet, Stephen’s “pas de deax” (pictured); and from the “straw” cabinet, an exceptionally old, but beautifully kept, embroidered shallow crown hat from 1760-1769. This hat, in particular, causes quite an emotional reaction from my mother. She seems astonished, stunned, and simply taken a-back. She spends a little extra time with it, before moving to the next cabinet.

One of the most fascinating features of this second chamber is the re-created section of Stephen’s studio. It occupies the centre of the room. His radio plays softly next to an opened can of flavoured mineral water and the floor is peppered with his labels, buttons and other bits of fly- away. The walls are waterfalls of trims, braids, boxes, sketches and notes... To some, this small room-within-a-room looks just like you might imagine your average artist’s studio. To others, the ones who linger for that extra little while, are leaning inside, are partly transported but longing to be closer, the picketed barrier gates really do serve as a reminder that: you are an art exhibition; he is not in there; and no! you cannot just pop in for a closer look...

The third room is a room for the “famous” hats: Sarah Jessica-Parker’s green feather Phillip Treacy; a cap worn by Janet Jackson in one of her concerts; Kiera Knightley’s ostrich-feather-covered costume hat worn in the film The Duchess; Dita von Teese’s favourite toy hat with the miniature parrot on top; Camilla’s wedding headpiece by Phillip Treacy; Mick Jagger’s hat worn during the Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang world tour; and Kylie’s visor worn in her Showgirl tour, both by Stephen Jones.

At the centre of this chamber is a group of mannequins. They wear some of the catwalk pieces by Jones, et al. They wouldn’t make much sense on a floating head in a cabinet. They are large, obscure and very modern. One is certain inspiration for Lady GaGa’s recent Diet Coke can hair rollers. Another is the exceptionally bright pom-pom headwear created by Soren Bach and worn by Bjork in 2008.

In the final chamber is a fantastic area for children (and adults of course!) to create a personalised paper hat. A marvellous idea... in so many ways.

The final cabinet of hats is on the right hand side of the final chamber. It holds a modest collection of work by a selection of Australian milliners: Richard Nylon; Peter Jago; Neil Grigg; Alexandra Harper; Liza Stedman; and Sandy O’Rourke. This cabinet could have been bigger... much bigger... But, I suppose, it is fair to say that this is not an Australian millinery exhibition. Now, that is something that should be considered...

This exhibition is not intended to take you on a chronological or historical tour through time. It is not intended to show you everything that ever was, or is, to hats and millinery. The precise intention of this exhibition-in-a-cave is to show you Stephen Jones’ “viewpoint of where hats come from, how they were made, where they were sold and the extraordinary people who wore them.” And that is what it does. However, I think it does more than this. It evokes emotion, appreciation, wonder and inspiration. It is breathtaking and captivating. It makes your mind wander into the creative spirit of these headwear artists and causes you to take a moment to think and acknowledge the beauty of the hat. It makes you want to wear hats more often. And it makes you think about why we don’t. It makes you realise that a hat is a finishing touch to an outfit, an extension of the person, a statement and a face-frame.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones is well worth your time. Whether you are a milliner by trade, or you have a fascination with hats, if you are a fashion student, or have an interest in the history of fashion or you are simply passing through Brisbane, I urge you to stop by the not-so-pretty-from-the-outside Museum on Southbank, and let Mr Jones take you somewhere.

Exhibition showing in Brisbane only: 27 March – 27 June 2010www.qac.qld.gov.au/hats