"A hat can make or break an outfit, it is a key element of style."
— Stephen Jones
Jones is not being dramatic. He is stating a fact that every Fashions on the Field judge knows. The outfit can be perfect, the shoes impeccable, the bag exactly right. But if the hat is wrong, the whole thing falls apart.
The reverse is also true. A well-chosen hat can elevate a simple outfit into something genuinely spectacular. I have seen women win best-dressed competitions in relatively understated outfits because the headpiece was so perfectly chosen that it lifted everything around it.
Getting It Right
- Scale matters — the hat should suit your frame, not overwhelm it
- Colour coordination, not colour matching — complement, do not clone
- One hero piece — if the hat is bold, keep everything else simple
"This is why I always ask to see the outfit before I start designing. A hat made in isolation is a gamble. A hat made in conversation with the outfit is a certainty."
— Kathryn Lee
Fun Fact
Jones opened his first millinery salon on Great Queen Street in London in 1980, at the age of just 22. He had been inspired to make hats while studying at Saint Martin's School of Art after immersing himself in London's punk and New Romantic club scene. Forty-five years later, he is one of the most respected milliners on the planet.
