Today I’m going to share two of my passions….books and The Costume Collection at the Chicago History Museum. These two will come together when The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum presents a very exciting event that I’m delighted to share with you. By now you know I host a monthly nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club (we are now 4 1/2 years into our events!!!) This December I will be featuring two Dior books, MISS DIOR by Justine Picardie and CHRISTIAN DIOR DESIGNER OF DREAMS in conversation with Maureen Footer. How appropriate that The Costume Council is welcoming Stephen Jones to discuss his new book DIOR HATS in November.

Christian Dior needs no introduction to anyone and, yes, there are many books about him and his unique creativity but this book explores how important hats were to M. Dior and his successors. He featured hats beginning with his first collection in 1947…here worn with the famous Bar Suit.

We have a large collection of Dior in the Costume Collection including the hats seen in the photos below which are included on the invitation.

I urge you to make your reservation immediately….this is a not to be missed event, do subscribe at least at the $200.00 level to get the signed book to add to your fashion book library…you won’t be sorry.

Here is all the information on the event…beyond exciting…

“The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum invites you to

Dior Hats: From Christian Dior to Stephen Jones

A virtual conversation with the renowned Stephen Jones, milliner to the House of Dior since 1966, and Oriole Cullen, fashion and textiles curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18
5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
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Ticket Levels

Presenting Sponsor: $1,000
Includes two boxes and the Zoom link.

VIP Sponsor: $500
Includes one box and the Zoom link.

Exclusive Box Set: $200
Includes one box and the Zoom link.

Link to join Zoom webinar: $50

Milliners Guild and SAIC Student Access: $25
We’re pleased to offer a special discount to School of the Art Institute of Chicago students and members of the Milliners Guild who wish to attend the presentation.

Underwriting opportunities available
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The Zoom link will be emailed to ticketholders the week of the presentation. Boxes will ship the week of November 1.Complimentary shipping available only in the continental US. Boxes purchased after this date may be picked up at the Museum.

Get Tickets

ABOUT DIOR HATS: FROM CHRISTIAN DIOR TO STEPHEN JONES

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, Dior Hats revisits sumptuous moments. A series of exclusive, never-before-published photographs by Sølve Sundsbø, as well as emblematic images by fashion’s greatest photographer showcase this key essential. A celebration of distinction at its quintessence.

Compiled under the virtuoso eye of Stephen Jones, this unique tome unearths archival treasures, taking the reader on a fantasy odyssey of discovery through a mix of words and images dedicated to these fascinating objects of desire.

ABOUT STEPHEN JONES

Since the early 1980s Stephen Jones has collaborated with designers from Vivienne Westwood and Claude Montana through to his current work with Thom Browne and Christian Dior. Jones’s hats have been an integral component in some of the most memorable runway spectacles of the past quarter century.

In 2009 at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, he curated the hugely popular exhibition Hats, an Anthology by Stephen Jones, breaking attendance records around the world. In addition, his hats are also collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre in Paris.

Today, Jones’s retail boutique, design studio, and workroom are all located in a charming Georgian townhouse close to the site of his very first millinery salon. In addition to his Model Millinery collection, he designs the widely-distributed Miss Jones and JonesBoy diffusion ranges.

ABOUT ORIOLE CULLEN

Oriole Cullen is a Fashion and Textiles curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Prior to joining the V&A, she worked at the Museum of London as curator of Dress and Decorative Arts. She has curated numerous exhibitions and published and lectured on the subject of fashion and textiles. Since 2006 she has overseen the V&A’s Fashion in Motion series, working with contemporary fashion designers to showcase their work in live settings within the Museum space. She was co-curator with Stephen Jones on the 2009 V&A exhibition Hats, an Anthology by Stephen Jones and more recently worked with Stephen on the V&A’s Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition in 2019.

ABOUT THE COSTUME COLLECTION

The Chicago History Museum is home to one of the largest repositories of fashion in the United States, with over 50,000 historic garments and accessories. Since 1974, The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum has been raising awareness through its unique collaborations with designers and exhibitions. The ongoing fundraising support from the Costume Council allows for the preservation and interpretation of historic costume and dress.

With more than 200 pieces of Dior fashion in the Chicago History Museum’s costume collection, including hats, CHM has had a longstanding interest in the French fashion house’s work. Join us to hear these two notable figures discuss the history of and current trends in the world of millinery and fashion, including the recently published book Dior Hats: From Christian Dior to Stephen Jones.

Questions? Contact Nell McKeown, institutional advancement events manager, at 312-799-2118 or at mckeown@chicagohistory.org.”