When I curated the exhibition at the V&A in 2009, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones, I really wanted to have some royal hats in there. I had a hat that Philip Treacy had made for the now Queen Consort, Camilla, and I also wanted to have a hat from the Queen and the Queen Mother. From the Queen, I asked if I could have an Hermès scarf, because I thought that was one of the most wonderful hats that she had ever worn. She wore it with a bow under her chin—she was the only person in the world who had ever done that. And I probably rehearsed with scarves for a month on a mannequin before I was able to tie it in the way that Her Majesty would have done it. I was very aware that it was a huge honor. The Queen very kindly chose the hat that the Queen Mother had worn on her 100th birthday to be in that exhibition, which was a very defining moment for me. I never made hats for the Queen, but to be involved in that way was a real honor too.
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