There are many fashion exhibitions about designers, yet, I believe we can count exhibitions about milliners with our fingers. Demographically, there are incomparably more fashion designers, but the concept of a milliner still doesn't ring with people.

Palais Galliera delightfully tells us about the career of milliner Stephen Jones and his relationship with Paris: a city of close friendships and dynamic inspiration.

On my way to Palais Galliera was special, thanks to the playlist Stephen Jones curated. Soft Cell, Roxy Music, David Bowie and Joy Division - punk icons representing his peculiar youth and friendships at Blitz in London.

Indeed, the second part of the exhibition, Le Blitz club, welcomes us with the 80s punk musics and disco lights. It's the culture he used to be soaked in and spread his wings as a unique, singular milliner. You can see the Scarlett hat, shining like crystal, and other hats such as the one created for Boy George. In the room, I saw endearing mother-daughter pairs, with mothers leading conversations, and other visitors of diverse age groups as well, chatting in front of Jones' works under the music. At the same time, I think this exhibition is particularly valuable in a way that a fashion exhibition enables people to share their experiences across generations, making me a mom smile as an observer.

This autobiographical exhibition celebrating the milliner's 45th career, shares his early life and nationality as a British. From the union jack hat to the one worn by princess Diana's are displayed as vivid evidence of British history. Juxtaposition of his collection invite cards breathe like book covers of his creative journey.

Jones' works are placed in vitrines or on mannequins remotely that visitors could feel slight distance, there's a sense of separation. The hats seemed like paintings, as we could see them in front of it. If the hats were displayed without vitrines and mannequins were a bit closer, we might feel his works more theatrically, correspond to his imagination.

Stephen Jones has created distinctive hats, which declare "I'm from Stephen Jones". - you can wear hat of Eiffel tower, a jellyfish and a feather a helmet attached peacock feathers - literally from any materials we see and dream of. That's how he has been the top-tier milliner that designers want to put his name in their collections.

The cultured, punk boy received woos for collaboration from legendary fashion designers such as Thierry Mugler, Raf Simons, John Galliano, Rei Kawakubo, Walter Van Beirendonck, Azzedine Alaïa, Schiaparelli and many more.

I found from an interview that once he said that not every collaborations was easy, but we can clearly tell he has done speechless jobs embodying the punk spirit " You are capable of doing what you want, you just have to believe in it".

The haute couture hatter's creativity has enriched each hat's identity and embellished the English punk culture regardless of sizes of hats.

After the exhibition, in the shop, we can find the newspaper, Bolovision, second issue. It features photos of Stephen Jones, his work process and behind the scenes taken by his close photographer friend, Koto Bolofo. I could not pass it without purchasing it. We may less reading newspapers, but the information in printed newspaper is reliable than what we find on screens, doesn't it?