A STUDY IN CONTRASTS: For fall 2026, Stephen Jones took to heart the mantra of his old pal Patrick Kinmonth, the opera director, designer and all-round creative, “Think pink, but pack black.” And while pink doesn’t necessarily scream “practical,” the collection was utterly so, and made for hat lovers on the move.

Among the styles on display in Jones’ Covent Garden showroom were a reversible black hat with a fuzzy pink lining, and another style with a wide brim that could be flattened and slipped into a slim, soft pouch for travel.

There was also a baker boy cap that was black on the outside. Turned inside-out it was pink, with stand-up sequin feathers, like some sort of exotic sprouting plant in a pop-up book.

Testament to Jones’ free-flowing creativity, there were also hat-adjacent designs, including a sequin adorned mask that resembled a pair of glasses. When perched high on the head, the mask could also be worn as a tiara.

He also designed a “flying bow,” with a fat knotted ribbon perched high on a headband.

Jones, who was dressed for the presentation in a black Dior suit and a pink and red Vivienne Westwood tie, said this season he was thinking about “practicality, how we move around every day, and how we travel. I travel all the time, so I wanted to make hats that were practical, and had an element of fun.”

He’s been busy on other fronts, too. In May, the designer will head to Los Angeles to work on the hats for Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior cruise collection. He’s also helping his collectors assemble catalogues of his designs.

Asked to what extent the slowdown in luxury was impacting his business, Jones said there are always people who will invest in hats. Some people love art, others love to travel “and others love fashion.”

People will happily “invest thousands of pounds because they want to have fun with their appearance, because they’re collectors, or because they’re interested in the hat-making process,” Jones said. “They love every moment.”