It has been almost a year since the coronation of King Charles III took place, but for Jess Collett (49 years old, London) it is as if it had happened a couple of days ago. This British milliner was the creator of the headdresses worn by Kate Middleton and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, during the ceremony held at London's Westminster Abbey. Some pieces that millions of people saw on television and in photos published in media around the world. Today, inevitably, she continues to receive interest in this topic.
Before the interview, Collett warns that she will not share details about those headdresses or her relationship with the princesses, but it is clear that the impact on her business has been so significant that it is impossible not to mention it. “It was amazing. As if my entire professional life I had been waiting for that moment,” he confesses to EL PAÍS. “The starting point was a Golden crown, one of my most popular models. Many clients have asked me for something similar, but obviously I will never make a piece like the one at the coronation.” The Princess of Wales broke with tradition and did not wear a tiara, preferring the romantic diadem made of crystal and silver (matching that of her daughter Charlotte) that Collett made in collaboration with the brand Alexander McQueen, which devised the dress for the historic date. The floral motifs on her headdress and dress replicated the iconography the king had chosen to symbolize the different nations that make up the United Kingdom. “Everything was perfectly thought out, down to the last detail,” describes the milliner.
She also took care of the hat worn to the ceremony by Samantha Cameron, the wife of David Cameron, former British Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister in Rishi Sunak's Government. Getting Cameron to cover her head was quite a feat, she recalls, since she had never felt comfortable wearing a hat. In fact, she didn't even do it at William and Kate's wedding. “I worked my magic and changed his mind,” Collett jokes. Cameron liked the red hat she made for her coronation so much that she suggested collaborating on one. capsule collection for his fashion brand, Cefinn, coinciding with the high wedding season that is just beginning now and horse races such as Ascot.
“Sam called me because he wanted to offer a look complete for special occasions. I chose models that were easy to buy on-line, and in solid colors so that they can be combined with their printed dresses,” he explains. You could say that Collett has a special gift for convincing those who don't like hats: “I've always been good at dealing with people. I connect with clients and understand them. It is something that comes naturally to me and that I enjoy,” she admits. “I think hats give confidence to the wearer and that there is a silhouette that fits each person.” Her creations have appeared in fashion editorials in magazines such as Talter, Vogue, People, Cosmopolitan either Harpers Bazaar.
The designer is an example of that very British figure of the person who works in formal spaces, but is not intimidated by their rules. Both the diffusion line and the custom pieces of her creations comply with traditional etiquette codes, but always look fresh. “The past serves as a reference, but personally I don't like rules,” she reasons. “I work freely within a framework, but always with the premises of comfort and lightness. I don't really know why I make certain pieces, but I feel like they have a magnetic field that attracts me. And my hats always have a fun touch,” she argues as she tries on different fascinators and hats and explains what type of personality each one would be for.
The milliner and her two employees work in a cozy workshop decorated with her grandmother's furniture in the Portobello Road area of the British capital, far from the concept of boutique stuffy that can be imagined for someone who collaborates with Madonna, Helena Bonham Carter and members of the royal family such as Zara Tindall, granddaughter of Elizabeth II, and Sofia of Edinburgh. Pippa Middleton, like her sister, is a regular. “The Middleton sisters always look brand new,” she says. “I like to see how the Princess of Wales has evolved when it comes to wearing a hat. She is becoming more and more confident in her style.”
For Collett, hats are enjoying renewed popularity. “It's a consequence of social media, which encourages people to wear something special for photos,” she notes. She also perceives that British style continues to be a reference for formal occasions, especially in countries like the United States. “Ceremonies, traditions… things we Brits are good at,” she says, smiling. Of all the pre-designed models, the most popular are the foldable World Traveler hats to carry in your suitcase and the headbands, whose price, depending on the degree of elaboration, can range from about 150 euros to 1,500. “They work well for anyone who doesn't want to commit to a hat, and they provide a halo effect very flattering.”
![David Cameron and Samantha Cameron, wearing a Jess Collet headdress, during the coronation of Charles III, on May 6, 2023.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/LGQoY_7le1J9JttlLn9atGcYF7A=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/6VIBV2FRCFAZHOXP6M7OUG2BK4.jpg)
The creator, who grew up in rural England, has been making hats since she was a child, when she began playing dress-up. She studied Costume Design and from her mother, an upholsterer and dressmaker, she learned to “transform ideas into something that you build with your own hands.”
In the 25 years that he has dedicated to the millinery, he has had to juggle to stay afloat. He closed the workshop when her daughters were little and it became a mobile store making deliveries in his car. He admits that without a support network made up of friends who help him with the website and photo shoots, his mother who takes care of his daughters, or her relatives who keep track of his accounts, it would not be possible for him to maintain the brand. her. Despite everything, she cannot imagine dedicating herself to anything else: “Maybe I grew up very sheltered, but I can't conceive of any other way to make a living. I had to learn how a company works, to be less chaotic, to use numbers and to conquer my fears. I do all of this simply because I want to make a living from my business.”
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