Albertus Swanepoel picks the 5 greatest hats of all time

1. All the hats in My Fair Lady – Cecil Beaton is the most extraordinary designer. I thought he was incredible, just because aesthetically beautiful the proportions, his sense of color … everything.

2. Adrian’s straw hat – My favorite hat in the world was designed by Adrian, who used to work in Hollywood in the ’30s, and it was a straw hat with twigs in it, and there’s a ribbon, and to me that hat is of a really classic shape but it has whimsy and elegance and those elements which I find very important in hats. There should be sort of a tongue-in-cheek element or whimsical element — not funny, but whimsical, that’s an important distinction.

3. Veruschka’s safari hat – I also love the hat that Veruschka wears in a very famous photograph, wearing an Yves Saint Laurent dress with crisscross safari, and she wears this big hat.

4. All the headwear in Out of Africa – Out of Africa is also one of my favorite movies, and the costume designer is Milena Canonero, who also did Blade Runner and Barry Lyndon, but those hats to me are so beautiful that I can’t take it. They’re chic and beautiful and extraordinary.

5. Stephen Jones’ body of work – I must say I’m an incredible fan of Stephen Jones. I truly think he’s extraordinary, so I must say everything he’s ever done. He’s a master. He understands the subtleties and design and whimsy, and also what I love about him is he has a wide range, you know, he works for Comme des Garçons but also for Dior, and that’s what’s happening with me, working with different designers. Every designer has his own vision and aesthetic, and you have to be able to adapt yourself to fit in with their vision, like Lagerfeld designing for Fendi and Chanel, so I love that designers can do that.