Philip Treacy
Philip Treacy
Philip Treacy OBEis an Irish milliner and designer based in London...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionDesigner
Date of Birth26 May 1967
CountryIreland
magic different royalty
Royalty is completely different than celebrity. Royalty has a magic all its own.
less
I used to make clothes for my sister's dolls. I couldn't care less for the dolls, but I could make the clothes really easily.
expressive plus simpler
So my advice is to always choose something simpler - an expressive outfit, plus a hat, can be frightening.
shows
You always see a better side of where you're visiting when a local shows you around.
allowed fabric fascinated feed joining needle sewing
My mother had a sewing machine. I was never allowed to use it, but I was so fascinated by this little needle going up and down joining fabric together that I'd use it when my mother went out to feed the chickens.
buy
People, when they buy a hat, they can't explain why they want to buy it or why they want it, but they do. It's like chocolate.
best error trial until
Try on 100 different hats if you can, until you find the one that suits you best. It's a trial and error thing.
architecture balancing designing wearing
There's a technicality to designing and wearing hats. A hat is balancing the proportions of your face; it's like architecture or mathematics.
classic elizabeth epitome excess forties image major taylor ultimate worked
The classic hat image was during the Forties and Fifties, and Elizabeth Taylor was the epitome of that; she was the ultimate celebrity of excess and glamour, and she worked major sun hats.
came conformist people
Not long ago, a hat was a conformist accessory. Then the 1960s came along, and young people didn't want to wear hats.
best fact less people
I empathise with the fact that people want to look their best. A hat is all about how it makes you feel - it's so much better than a nip and tuck, and a lot less painful.
aim art believe history informs taking
I believe in originality, primarily. However, it's important to know what there has been before to aim in that direction. Art history informs us. It informs our mind. I like to look at books, exhibitions, paintings, as a computer, subconsciously taking on information.
attitude bit brings hat laugh pair people
There is no attitude required. The hat brings the attitude. And when people try on a hat they like, it is a bit of fun. It makes them laugh. You don't laugh when you put on a pair of shoes, but you do with a hat.
believe epitome hats royal wedding
Hats are the epitome of Englishness, and a royal wedding is the penultimate moment for a hat designer. I'm Irish, but I am a royalist and I believe in fantasy.