The Queen would appear frequently in Jones’ work over the ensuing decades as he rose to prominence as one of the most renowned and revered British milliners in history, whether in the silkscreened prints he created in 1975 for his art foundation course, which featured images of the Queen set against a vivid sky, or the tweed crowns he created for Vivienne Westwood, which were famously photographed by Nick Knight for a cover of i-D magazine in 1987 and worn by Westwood herself. It was entirely a compliment because Vivienne loved the Queen’s tweeds as a little child, Jones recalls.
Stephen Jones vividly recalls his first encounter with the Queen. As a small child living up in rural Cheshire, he was entranced by the attire she would don while travelling the Commonwealth, which was broadcast on televisions throughout the world and seen to him at home. According to Jones, “She was well conscious of the power of fashion, and I think she was very reverent of the craft of fashion too.” She was aware that her outward appearance was a metaphor that might be interpreted in numerous ways.
