Milliner Stephen Jones buzzed into town to launch his Wisteria Hysteria fragrance with Comme des Garçons at Dover Street Market NY (and take in the Met Gala). Not surprisingly, the eau de toilette ($165) — housed in a miniature hat box on a white veil nest — takes its askew cues from the Comme universe of strange scents. Its sweet-and-spicy notes stand in contrast to the first aromatic collaboration between the two — “futuristic and rococo,” as Stephen describes it.

Of course the spirit of teamwork between Stephen Jones and Rei Kawakubo is nothing new. Ever since a chance encounter thirty years ago, Stephen has created hats for many a Comme collection, women’s and men’s, as well as creating the Stephen Jones 1 hats exclusively for Dover. 

To celebrate the launch of Wisteria Hysteria, director Henry Pincus created a short film — with clothes by L’Wren Scott — inspired by the contrarian nature of the fragrance. The film, played on continuous loop at the launch, tells the story of a woman’s encounter with the opposite version of herself…