RACING MILLINERY
Deborah Quinn’s love of headwear is one forged over the years, under a blazing Australian sun. As the world’s biggest Stephen Jones client, she’s never without a trippy, happy topper that a headpiece can be. The Brisbane-based race aficionado sets out her
1. Embrace talking point-toppers (you never know who you might meet)
“I usually note those in a group who are wearing a hat, and frequently meet them because of it. My hats always connect with others and are my expression of individuality.
“I first discovered [Stephen Jones’s] hats in the early 1990s and subsequently met him 10 years later in London in his atelier in Covent Garden. We hit it off instantly and enjoy a special friendship based around hats.”
2. Choose hats as focal (not distraction) pieces
“Hats for me often produce an air of mystery, but I never use them for protection or disguise. Hats are an expression of my mood, my individuality and my sense of style – they do manifest my personality.”
3. Let the head lead – trackside and beyond
“Every day for me is a ‘hatty’ day, and an event. The hat sets my mood for the day, and sometimes shapes it.”
4. Have faith in, and patience for, the creator
“I do not work to a formula or a process. The production and completion of one of Jones’s pieces depends on his inspiration and then becomes a personal process to make it quite idiosyncratic. Sometimes this takes place directly with us together, and sometimes by Skype. There is no set time period for this and may take weeks or months.”
5. Build a varied collection
“My hats are all individual and tell a particular story. Some are oversized and flamboyant, others small and chic; some lightweight and some heavy; some are tall; another is held together by dressmaker pins; while others are quite traditional.”
6. Appreciate the freedom of today
“Fashion is continually changing, and with it the wearing of hats – and their format – from being used mainly for uniforms during war time to being more decorative and full of individual expression since that time. In Britain, after World War II, the situation was austere and extras like hats were not available to all. Luckily now [we] are much more free to express ourselves by wearing hats, in all formats.”
7. Dressed to invest – in bespoke
“Women should look for an individually made hat to enhance their outfit, making them feel special and adding to the joy of the occasion. The hat is always the finishing note to the music.”