It was all about Philip Treacy at the Royal Wedding last April.But when it came to millinery the Diamond Jubilee belonged firmly to Stephen Jones, the Liverpool-born designer, who once described hats as “lingerie for the face”.Many of the most prominent guests favoured his sweet retro confections, some on more than one occasion.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie had commissioned two designs each for the four-day celebrations.Bea’s blue and white number worn for Tuesday’s service of thanksgiving stood out in particular with its beautiful tie netted detail.And the black sequinned pillbox with coral embellishment topping off Eugenie’s outfit at the River Pageant matched her outfit perfectly.Samantha Cameron’s natty netted hat in St Paul's also came courtesy of the Central Saint Martin’s graduate – it can have been no mean feat pleasing the Prime Minister's wife as she's not a headgear aficionado.Stephen has three decades in design under his belt.
And he's collaborated with Giles Deacon, Marc Jacobs and John Galliano, with whom he worked for two decades at Dior.”Frankly,” he told the Daily Telegraph of the designers he works with, “I think I’ve got the pick of the crop.”He also once counted Diana, Princess of Wales as a regular customer.
"The first hats I made for her were when she was just married,” he said.“During fittings she was listening to Wham Rap! on her Walkman. A lot of the hats I made for her were for her non-official events – Balmoral, for instance. Berets and softer hats, as opposed to big Ascot-y jobs."