Dior Hats: From Christian Dior to Stephen Jones

Contribution by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni and Alexander Fury and Florence Müller and Vincent Leret, Text by Stephen Jones

Christian Dior himself wrote in his Little Dictionary of Fashion: “A hat is essential to any outfit. It completes it. In a way, a hat is the best way to express your personality.” Published on the occasion of the 2020 exhibition at the Musée Christian Dior in Granville, France, and authored by renowned milliner Stephen Jones, this volume celebrates more than seventy years of exquisite hats.

IN HOMAGE TO EXCELLENCE OF SAVOIR-FAIRE AND THE ART OF ELEGANCE, HOUSE OF DIOR PRESENTS THE BOOK DIOR HATS FROM CHRISTIAN DIOR TO STEPHEN JONES (PUBLISHED BY RIZZOLI NY), UNVEILING OVER 70 YEARS OF CREATIVE PASSION*.

IN CHRISTIAN DIOR’S HANDS, THE HAT BECAME A MAJOR SYMBOL OF FRENCH HAUTE COUTURE AND ELEGANCE. “IT’S THE BEST WAY TO EXPRESS YOUR PERSONALITY,” HE WROTE OF HIS FAVORITE ACCESSORY, WHICH FEATURED IN EVERY ONE OF HIS TWENTY-TWO COLLECTIONS, FROM 1947 TO 1957.

Opening with a focus on hats designed by Christian Dior himself, the book explores the house’s headdresses over the years–from the first millinery of the New Look to Yves Saint Laurent’s Venetian masks, the toques of Marc Bohan, dramatic boaters by Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano’s extravagant confections, the graphic neck bow by Raf Simons, and romantic designs by Maria Grazia Chiuri. Jones’s insightful texts are accompanied by contributions from leading experts and enlivened by drawings and photographs from Dior’s archives; shots by famed photographers, such as Richard Avedon, Sir Cecil Beaton, and Craig McDean; and exclusive new images by Sølve Sundsbø.

FROM MONSIEUR DIOR’S FABULOUS HATS TO THOSE THAT MATCHED HAUTE COUTURE SILHOUETTES BY YVES SAINT LAURENT, FLORAL TOQUES BY MARC BOHAN, MAJESTIC, WIDE-BRIMMED HATS BY GIANFRANCO FERRÉ, EXTRAVAGANT CONFECTIONS BY JOHN GALLIANO, POETIC CREATIONS BY RAF SIMONS AND FEATHER HEADDRESSES BY MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI, THE BOOK DIOR HATS FROM CHRISTIAN DIOR TO STEPHEN JONES REVISITS SUMPTUOUS MOMENTS. A SERIES OF EXCLUSIVE, NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS BY SØLVE SUNDSBØ, AS WELL AS EMBLEMATIC IMAGES BY FASHION’S GREATEST PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE THIS KEY ESSENTIAL. A CELEBRATION OF DISTINCTION AT ITS QUINTESSENCE.

About The Author

Milliner Stephen Jones has been collaborating with Dior since 1996. He is the artistic director of the Dior Hats exhibition. Florence Müller is curator of fashion and textile art at the Denver Art Museum’s Avenir Foundation; she curated Dior Hats. Alexander Fury is the fashion features director of AnOther magazine. Vincent Leret is the heritage manager for Christian Dior Parfums. Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is a fashion writer and author. Dean Rhys Morgan is a fashion and interiors journalist. Sølve Sundsbø is a contemporary fashion photographer.