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THE DORCHESTER COLLECTION
In Nov 2006 Dorchester Hotels commissioned Stephen Jones and London designers Basso & Brooke to create outfits to represent their properties worldwide; 'The Dorchester Collection'. We created a series of outfits that were inspired by the hotels themselves, from the palms of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, to the stained glass of the Principe di Savoia in Milan. Executed in lavish embroidery, the clothes and hats are currently in a travelling exhibition around the world.
 1. The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles
A gala gown for a glamorous premiere. Voluptuous swags and ruffles in sequinned and beaded satin are followed by a red carpet train. The hat is a dramatic beaded palm tree (green lined with pink!), which echoes the hotel's famous lush tropical gardens and eponymous colouring.
 2. The Dorchester, London
A 1950's ball gown inspired by the silhouette of the young Queen Elizabeth. Gold and white bugle beads repeat the design motifs of the Oliver Messel suite, the crown jewel of the Dorchester. The headdress is the 'Prince of Wales Feathers', the traditional headdress of the British court but realized in gold and white beads. God Save the Queen!
 3) The Plaza Athénée, Paris
This dress is a beaded painting of the hotel façade, with the skirt an asymmetrically draped cascade of the vivid red geraniums which are a hallmark of the hotel; the headdress uses these geraniums in 3D in an opulent arrangement. The flower heads are pierced by representations of the ironwork which graces the hotel facade.
 4) Le Meurice, Paris
The delicate and exquisite colouring of this beaded chiffon dress is inspired by the view of the Tuilerie Gardens from the hotel. The dress in an Empire silhouette which echoes the fashionable silhouette of when it was built. 1830 was also the year of the crowning of Marie-Amélie queen of France. This crown is an exact copy of her crown but in citrine and topaz to co-ordinate with the dress.
 5) Principe di Savoia, Milan
This opulent tailored dress is beaded with the pattern of the stained glass roof of the central atrium. To coordinate with this, I designed a masculine Italian inspired fedora but trimmed with a beaded lily.
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