Prix Champagne De La Joie De Vivre UK, at The Undercroft at The Banqueting House, London, Britain - 12 Mar 2014

Thibaut le Mailloux, Bruno Paillard, Stephen Jones, and Francoise Peretti

Le Prix Champagne de la Joie de Vivre

“What’s the point of fashion if there’s no joie de vivre?” – Stephen Jones

12 March 2014 – To the historic Undercroft at Banqueting House in Whitehall we went to join with the Champagne Bureau UK in celebrating this year’s Le Prix Champagne de la Joie de Vivre prize winner, the inimitable Stephen Jones, for his contribution to joie de vivre in fashion.

Fresh from a whirlwind fashion month, the master milliner – and newlywed – spared a few moment for my questions. Be sure to see some pictures from the night below, whose attendees included fashion editors Suzy Menkes and Hilary Alexander, fashion illustrator David Downton, actress Perdita Weeks, SHOWstudio’s Lou Stoppard, and  last year’s winner, photographer Richard Young.

1. Where does the inspiration for your new collection come from, and what keeps you inspired?

“My next collection (Autumn Winter 2014) was inspired by Naum Gabo, the sculptor, and Greta Garbo. What keeps me inspired is the quote from Oscar Wilde: “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”

2. Do you have a memorable hat, either because it’s a design that’s close to your heart, or for who wore it/what it was worn for? 

“A combination of those things: Madonna going to the Premiere of Evita in a hat I made for Givenchy, to Jourdan Dunn in the golden halo on the closing of the London Olympics.”

3. What makes a successful milliner?

“Dedication and a sense of humour and joie de vivre!”

 

What we ate: Cornish crab, wild mushroom tarts, fillet of lamb, and bubblegum and raspberry pavlova canapés.

What we drank: Vast quantities of the best champagne, and delicious, summery red fruit cocktails for those of us who shy away from indulging.

Images courtesy of The Champagne Bureau UK.

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