[1] He is also one of the most prolific, having created hats for the catwalk shows of many leading couturiers and fashion designers, such as John Galliano at Dior and Vivienne Westwood.

[1] This led him to apply to study fashion design under Elisabeth Suter,[6] at the Saint Martin's School of Art, London, where he was the sole male student in his year.

[5] The hat he eventually submitted, his first original millinery creation, was a cardboard pillbox covered in blue crêpe de Chine and trimmed with a plastic iris, sprayed silver that his mother had received as a free gift from a petrol station in the 1960s.

[5] Jones left Saint Martin's in 1979, the same year that he became a regular attendee of London's Blitz nightclub in Covent Garden for New Romantics and fans of new wave music.

[1] Jones had been a Punk while at St Martins, but keenly embraced the New Romantic movement as its drawing of inspiration from historical dress resonated with his thinking.

[9] In 1980, Blitz's owner Steve Strange provided financial backing for Jones' first millinery salon, which opened nearby in the basement of the trendy store PX, Endell Street, Covent Garden on 1 October.

In addition to his hat collections for designers, Jones has undertaken numerous individual high-profile commissions for pop groups, musicians, actors, and other celebrities.

[9] In the 1990s, his client list expanded to include Monie Love, Paula Abdul, U2, The Rolling Stones, Cappella, New Order, Marc Almond, Billy Ray Martin, Take That, Belinda Carlisle, Mike + The Mechanics, Skunk Anansie, Eternal, B*Witched, All Saints, Celine Dion, and Kylie Minogue.

[9] Jones's client list expanded through the first decade of the 21st century to include the Spice Girls, Robbie Williams, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Hear'Say, Macy Gray, Björk, Steve Strange, Paul Simonon, Will Young, Pink, Tori Amos, Alison Goldfrapp, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna and Usher.

[9] He created the hats for three major tours starting in 2005: Kylie Minogue's Showgirl, Mick Jagger's A Bigger Bang and Marilyn Manson's Against All Gods.

[9] He created the hats for leading ladies such as Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Keira Knightley in Atonement, Dita Von Teese in The Death of Salvador Dali, and Audrey Tautou in Coco avant Chanel.

[9] Jones hats have been used to promote food and soft drinks, including Chiquita, Twix, St Ivel, Quaker Oats, Ryvita, Golden Wonder, Walker's Sensations, Tango, and Robinson's orange squash.

[9] Alcoholic beverages have also been advertised using his hats, beginning with Tennents lager in 1987 and including Tia Maria, Cinzano, Perrier, Boddingtons, and Martini & Rossi.

[4] The work of up-and-coming milliners such as Noel Stewart and Nasir Mazhar was featured alongside hats by Philip Treacy, Mitza Bricard for Dior, Claude Saint-Cyr for Norman Hartnell and Vladzio d'Attainville for Cristóbal Balenciaga.

[4] Film millinery was also featured, such as Beaton's own designs for the stage and screen versions of My Fair Lady and hats worn by Ava Gardner and Marlene Dietrich.

[4] The exhibition launched during London Fashion Week with a lavish party attended by famous clients and admirers of Jones, including Piaggi, Daphne Guinness, Peter Blake, Erin O'Connor and Daisy Lowe.