There are hats, and then there are Jess Collett hats. Meet milliner Jess Collett who is a firm favourite among the fashion set.
Jess Collett, who passionately believes hats have the power to transform your style and mood, uses the finest materials and traditional millinery methods to make contemporary hats such as her bestselling neon pom pom adorned straw trilby hats and fedoras.
After twenty-five years working as a couture milliner for the fashion elite, Jess is bringing the enjoyment of bespoke to everyday wear with her JCM diffusion line. Her couture hats, that have donned the heads of Madonna, Rita Ora, Princess Eugenie and Thandie Newton, are now available online. Collett has been chosen to create the hat for BBC presenter Julie Montagu for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Today, Jess looks through her iPhone at her favourite apps and blogs.
My favourite website... Wikipedia - It is the site I most frequently go to, except in a pub quiz of course! It has anything you want to know in the world literally and instantly at your fingertips. The speed and spread of information on the network astounds me. It’s incredible.
My favourite app… Shazam - I love music, and having good playlists is essential to my wellbeing and my work. I’m always listening out for a good tune wherever I might be.
My blog of choice… The London Chatter - Kelly Eastwood reminds me of a modern day Holly Go Lightly (a constant muse for JCM). She has lots to say on style and London life and I love her turn of phrase.
My internet hero… Definitely the three men [Vinton Cerf, Robert Kahn and Tim Berners-Lee] who came up with the idea. It has completely changed the course of history and way we live. Whether you like it or not, this is just the beginning.
My favourite podcasts... I find the world of podcasts too overwhelming to search through so I stick to Desert Island Discs.
My most recent buy online… Very boringly, an iron. I go through at least one every six months. They just don't make them like they used to! Oh... and also a book – ‘Why Every Teenager Needs A Parrot' by Alicia Drummond. I'm hopeful that this is going to revolutionise my life.
Book just downloaded/ read… I hardly get time to read what with juggling hats, my children and the washing, so I have downloaded War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, as I know I will never get around to actually reading it. The great thing about making hats is that you can sit and listen whilst sewing. It’s my meditation.
Favourite tweeter… Donald Trump – What’s not to love? It’s like watching real life comedy drama. Or is it scary, I’m not sure?
Favourite instagrammer… Clemmie Myers @limegreenbow - I love her off-beat rebel style. She puts the unexpected together and makes it look current.
Social media allowed me to meet… Julie Montagu, who will be presenting on the BBC for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding. I am excited as she will be wearing one of my hats.
Most worthwhile newsletter subscribed to… A fashion friend told me to subscribe to The Business of Fashion - The Daily Digest. It is a very informative read about what it going on in the industry; it includes interviews, news and useful tips on how to survive the fashion world.
Pet hate about life online… is the amount of time it takes to manage it. I am such a visual person and I wonder how much I miss seeing with my actual eyes, whilst I am on the run, looking at my phone, replying to some email or rather.
Stand out online memory… an article in The Daily Mail Online - When Pippa Middleton wore my World Traveller hat at Wimbledon last year. The ripple effect was almost instantaneous; I received my first orders that same day. That's the power of the internet.
May 2018
Portrait courtesy of Dorrie Mcveigh Photography
After twenty-five years working as a couture milliner for the fashion elite, Jess is bringing the enjoyment of bespoke to everyday wear with her JCM diffusion line. Her couture hats, that have donned the heads of Madonna, Rita Ora, Princess Eugenie and Thandie Newton, are now available online. Collett has been chosen to create the hat for BBC presenter Julie Montagu for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Today, Jess looks through her iPhone at her favourite apps and blogs.
My favourite website... Wikipedia - It is the site I most frequently go to, except in a pub quiz of course! It has anything you want to know in the world literally and instantly at your fingertips. The speed and spread of information on the network astounds me. It’s incredible.
My favourite app… Shazam - I love music, and having good playlists is essential to my wellbeing and my work. I’m always listening out for a good tune wherever I might be.
My blog of choice… The London Chatter - Kelly Eastwood reminds me of a modern day Holly Go Lightly (a constant muse for JCM). She has lots to say on style and London life and I love her turn of phrase.
My internet hero… Definitely the three men [Vinton Cerf, Robert Kahn and Tim Berners-Lee] who came up with the idea. It has completely changed the course of history and way we live. Whether you like it or not, this is just the beginning.
My favourite podcasts... I find the world of podcasts too overwhelming to search through so I stick to Desert Island Discs.
My most recent buy online… Very boringly, an iron. I go through at least one every six months. They just don't make them like they used to! Oh... and also a book – ‘Why Every Teenager Needs A Parrot' by Alicia Drummond. I'm hopeful that this is going to revolutionise my life.
Book just downloaded/ read… I hardly get time to read what with juggling hats, my children and the washing, so I have downloaded War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, as I know I will never get around to actually reading it. The great thing about making hats is that you can sit and listen whilst sewing. It’s my meditation.
Favourite tweeter… Donald Trump – What’s not to love? It’s like watching real life comedy drama. Or is it scary, I’m not sure?
Favourite instagrammer… Clemmie Myers @limegreenbow - I love her off-beat rebel style. She puts the unexpected together and makes it look current.
Social media allowed me to meet… Julie Montagu, who will be presenting on the BBC for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding. I am excited as she will be wearing one of my hats.
Most worthwhile newsletter subscribed to… A fashion friend told me to subscribe to The Business of Fashion - The Daily Digest. It is a very informative read about what it going on in the industry; it includes interviews, news and useful tips on how to survive the fashion world.
Pet hate about life online… is the amount of time it takes to manage it. I am such a visual person and I wonder how much I miss seeing with my actual eyes, whilst I am on the run, looking at my phone, replying to some email or rather.
Stand out online memory… an article in The Daily Mail Online - When Pippa Middleton wore my World Traveller hat at Wimbledon last year. The ripple effect was almost instantaneous; I received my first orders that same day. That's the power of the internet.
May 2018
Portrait courtesy of Dorrie Mcveigh Photography