Philip Treacy Explained

Philip Treacy
Birth Date:26 May 1967
Birth Place:Ahascragh, Galway, Ireland
Education:National College of Art and Design (NCAD) Dublin, (1987)
Alma Mater:Royal College of Art London, (MA, 1990)
Occupation:Milliner, hat designer, designer

Philip Anthony Treacy (born 26 May 1967) is an Irish haute couture milliner, or hat designer, who has been mostly based in London for his career, and who was described by Vogue magazine as "perhaps the greatest living milliner". In 2000, Treacy became the first milliner in eighty years to be invited to exhibit at the Paris haute couture fashion shows. He has won British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards five times, and has received public honours in both Britain and Ireland. His designs have been displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1989, Treacy was discovered and then mentored by fashion editor Isabella Blow, whom Treacy described as the "biggest inspiration" on his life. Blow would wear and promote Treacy's designs at important fashion events and helped Treacy to break into some of the main fashion houses, particularly Chanel and Givenchy. Treacy is associated with celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Sarah Jessica Parker. He has been associated with British royalty and has designed hats for royal occasions, including the fascinator (or "pretzel hat") worn by Princess Beatrice in 2011.

Early life

Philip Anthony Treacy was born on 26 May 1967 in the small village of Ahascragh, near Ballinasloe, in County Galway in the Republic of Ireland, whose population was circa 500.[1] [2] Treacy says that his interest in sewing started at age five, and that his obsession with the weddings in the Catholic church across the road from his house inspired an early passion for fashion. In 1985, at age 17, Treacy moved to Dublin to study fashion at the National College of Art and Design, where he spent a six-week work experience with British milliner Stephen Jones, and graduated in 1987.[3] In 1988, Treacy won an MA scholarship for the Fashion Design course at the Royal College of Art in London, and graduated in 1990 with first class honours.[3] [4]

In 1989, he took one of his hats to Michael Roberts, fashion editor of Tatler magazine, and his style editor Isabella Blow.[5] Blow asked Treacy to make a hat for her wedding, and soon after in 1990, invited him to live with her and her new husband Detmar Blow, in their Belgravia home in London, where Treacy worked in their basement.[5] Alexander McQueen, another Blow discovery, also shared her Belgravia home.[6]

In July 2002, the Design Museum in London, hosted an exhibition of the 30 most iconic hats Treacy had designed for Blow, titled: When Philip met Isabella.[4] The exhibition was so well received that it went on a world tour for several years and drew an attendance of circa 43,000 when shown in Dublin in 2005.[4] In a 2011 interview, The Daily Telegraph said: "She made him famous. He made her look like an icon. When you think of the late, great Blow, you think of her in one of his creations, be it a giant disc or a replica sailing ship."[7]

Career

Haute couture

In 1991, aged 23, Treacy got his "big break" when asked by Karl Lagerfeld to come to the Chanel showrooms in Paris for what was to be the start of a long-term working relationship;[8] the meeting was held on the prompting of Blow.[9] The first hat that Treacy designed for Chanel appeared on the cover of British Vogue worn by model Linda Evangelista; the hat was called Twisted Birdcage and was photographed by French fashion photographer, Patrick Demarchelier.[10]

In 1991, Treacy opened his first showroom in London (pictured), and won the first of five British Accessory Designer of the Year awards.[11] Two years later, Treacy held his first fashion show during London Fashion Week in Harvey Nichols, with Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon, Kate Moss, Christy Turlington and Stella Tennant modelling in return for keeping Treacy's hats, all of which were black.[11] [10] In 1994, he opened up his boutique at 69 Elizabeth Street, in Belgravia, London, next door to Isabella Blow's residence at number 67.[9] [10] [12]

Treacy has designed hats for Alexander McQueen (another discovery of Isabella Blow), including his 1999 white collection for Givenchy in Paris, for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and for Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Versace and Rifat Ozbek. In January 2000, he became the first milliner for eighty years to be invited to exhibit at the Paris shows. In November 2015, Vogue magazine ran a feature of Treacy's 20 "most awe-inspiring chapeaux" from the runways.[13]

Wider fashion

Treacy has designed hats for films, including the Harry Potter film series, and most notably the Beauxbatons hat for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005.[14] Sarah Jessica Parker has worn his hats at Sex and the City premieres (2008, 2011), and Met Galas (2013, 2015). Treacy designed Madonna's gold headpiece for her 2012 Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.[15] Lady Gaga described Treacy as "the greatest milliner of all time", while hosting his 2012 London Week fashion show.[16] Notable designs for Lady Gaga include a telephone-shaped headpiece with a removable handset hat, worn for her appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2010 (now in permanent display at Madame Tussauds),[17] and a lightning-bolt hat she wore for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.[18] [19]

As well as Isabella Blow, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Lady Gaga, notable muses for Treacy's hats are socialite Daphne Guinness,[20] model Naomi Campbell,[8] [21] and singer, and model, Grace Jones, who used Treacy as art director and designer for her 2009 The Hurricane Tour.[22]

In a July 2011 interview with The Guardian, Treacy distilled what he felt a hat should do (a Treacy quote which is often reproduced):[23]

Treacy had previously written a piece for The Guardian in May 2001 on what defines the "perfect hat".[24]

Royal occasions

Treacy's hats are also associated with English royalty, with thirty-seventh worn at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton,[25] including the controversial fascinator-style hat worn by Princess Beatrice of York (pictured). This so-called "pretzel hat" was auctioned for charity by Princess Beatrice on eBay for $130,000 (£80,100) on 22 May 2011.[26] Treacy felt the criticism regarding the "pretzel hat" was extreme (the hat had its own Facebook page with over 140,000 connections), and in July 2011 said: "In the future, we'll look back and think she looked wild". In a July 2018 Desert Island Discs interview on BBC Radio 4, Treacy said of the backlash to his design: "There was a moment where I thought I would find myself with my head on a spike outside the Tower of London".[27] The hat is stored at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[28]

Treacy designed over twenty hats that were worn at the 19 May 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, including by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and by Oprah Winfrey.[29] [30] Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, chose a Treacy hat for her first official royal event in December 2017.[31] [32]

In July 2018, Treacy credited the patronage of Elizabeth II with "single-handedly saving the British hat industry".[33]

In 2023, Treacy created the caps of maintenance for the three crowns used in the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[34]

Awards

Treacy won the title of British Accessory Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards five times during the 1990s (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997).[35] In January 2000, Treacy was invited by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to participate in Paris fashion shows, the first milliner to be invited in 80 years.[36] [37] In November 2004, Treacy was named the International Designer of the Year, at the China Fashion Awards in Shanghai.[10] Treacy's hats have been exhibited, and are housed in the collections of design museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum,[37] [38] the Metropolitan Museum of Art,[37] [39] and the Galleria del Costume of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.[40] Vogue magazine has described Treacy, on several occasions, as being one of the greatest milliners in the world.[41] [42]

Treacy has also been recognized outside of the world of fashion. In April 2006, he was awarded a Doctorate of Fine Arts, by the National University of Ireland at University College Dublin.[3] [43] He was awarded an honorary OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to the British fashion industry by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at a special ceremony in Clarence House in November 2007.[44] Treacy designed the headdress worn by the Duchess of Cornwall for the couple's wedding.[44] In July 2010, Treacy was one of six contemporary and internationally renowned Irish fashion designers honoured by a set of Irish postage stamps issued by An Post. The other designers were Paul Costelloe, Louise Kennedy, John Rocha, Lainey Keogh and Orla Kiely.[45] [46]

Personal life

Treacy is gay and in May 2017 he married his long-term partner of over 21 years, Stefan Bartlett, in a ceremony in Las Vegas.[47] Treacy is the second youngest of a large family and has one sister, and seven brothers.[44] He is particularly close to his sister, Marion Tubbing,[44] the eldest sibling, whom he credits with supplying him with editions of Harper's and Queen and Vogue while living in Galway (Tubbing was working in London at the time),[48] and to whom, along with his partner Bartlett, Treacy dedicated his 2015 biography: Philip Treacy: Hat Designer.[21]

Treacy has also noted the support his parents gave him in pursuing his love of millinery, noting that his father would say: "whatever makes him happy".[49] [50] Treacy's father was a baker and his mother was a housewife,[51] however, his father had a weak heart which prevented him from working as a full-time baker, and he eventually died when Treacy was age 11 from a heart attack; Treacy's mother died in 1993, when he was 25.[11] Treacy called his friendship with his mentor, Isabella Blow, "an affair without sex".[7] He has highlighted the importance of fashion model Grace Jones as a friend.[52]

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Tracey Clan: Arts: Crafts . Philip Anthony Treacy, b. 26 May 1967 Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, son of the late James Vincent Treacy and Katie Agnes Treacy. His parents owned a baker's shop in Ahascragh, Co. Galway.. TreacyClann.com . 15 April 2020.
  2. Book: Reed. Paula. Etherington-Smith . Meredith . Meredith Etherington-Smith . Philip Treacy: unlikely sculpture . 2002 . Charta . Milano . 9788881583553 . 53 . 15 April 2020.
  3. Web site: Colm . Ó Briain . Text of the introductory address delivered by: Professor Colm Ó Briain, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, on Philip Treacy . . 21 November 2014 . 7 April 2006.
  4. Crown Prince . Deirdre . McQuillan . Irish Arts Review . July 2014 . 15 April 2015.
  5. Book: Sheridan . Jayne . Fashion, media, promotion: the new black magic . 2010 . Wiley . Hoboken . 9781118815021 . 27 . 15 April 2020.
  6. News: Alex McQueen and Isabella Blow . . 14 February 2010 . Detmar . Blow . I first met Alexander when Isabella invited him to live with us at 67 Elizabeth Street in Belgravia. We were on the top floor, [the milliner] Philip Treacy on the first, and Alexander was on the ground. Issie was working at British Vogue at the time and had come across Alexander at his graduate fashion show in 1992 . 15 April 2020 . 3 January 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170103003019/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG7231469/Alexander-McQueen-and-Isabella-Blow.html . dead .
  7. News: Philip Treacy: 'I've been busy, what with the wedding' . https://web.archive.org/web/20110423111316/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8454151/Philip-Treacy-Ive-been-busy-what-with-the-wedding.html. dead. 23 April 2011. . Bryony . Gordon . 18 April 2011 . 15 April 2020.
  8. News: Philip Treacy's crowning glory . . 6 October 2015 . Rachel Marie . Walsh . The hat designer (a description he prefers to milliner) pinpoints being summoned to Paris by Karl Lagerfeld in 1991 as his big break, comparable to an American Idol win . 15 April 2020 .
  9. News: Philip Treacy: how my flower hats blossomed . 5 April 2014 . . 15 April 2020 . Christopher . Woodward.
  10. News: Philip Treacy . Carrie . Chan . . 18 October 2006 . 15 April 2020.
  11. News: An audience with Prince Philip . . Barry . Egan . 20 November 2005 . 15 April 2020.
  12. Web site: 69 Elizabeth Street. LondonTown Guide. Treacy opened this elegant shop in Elizabeth Street in 1994, next door to Blow's old house at 67 Elizabeth Street – where Treacy's business first began in the basement.
  13. 20 of Philip Treacy's Most Jaw-Dropping Couture Chapeaux . . 13 November 2015 . 15 April 2020 . Kristin . Anderson.
  14. News: Harry Potter's wardrobe is brimful of secrets . The Standard . 13 July 2017 . 15 April 2020 . Jennifer . Ruby.
  15. News: Exclusive: Philip Treacy on designing Madonna's Super Bowl hat . 12 April 2012 . Phong . Luu . . Treacy made Madonna's jewelled Egyptian-ish fanned headpiece for her Super Bowl performance. He shows off the mock-up he made of it, and, even as a dummy run, it's impressive. . 15 April 2020.
  16. News: Lady Gaga pays tribute to milliner Philip Treacy at London fashion week . . Jess . Cartner-Morley . 16 September 2012 . How extraordinary was Philip Treacy's London fashion week catwalk show? Put it this way: when Lady Gaga appeared wearing a floor-length neon pink veil and towering Alexander McQueen Armadillo shoes, she did not immediately attract much attention. It was that kind of night . 15 April 2020.
  17. News: . In the London Madame Tussauds, a waxwork figure of the singer wearing a show-stopping Philip Treacy telephone hat which she wore on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in March 2010 was unveiled, teamed with a Giorgio Armani Privé outfit with pagoda-style shoulders and vertiginous heels . Lady Gaga appears in eight different outfits at eight Madame Tussauds . 9 December 2010 . Alexandra . Topping . 15 April 2020.
  18. News: Lady Gaga shares a laugh with 'genius' Philip Treacy . . Elaine . McCahill . 31 October 2014 . Gaga was wearing Treacy's unique hats as far back as 2010 when she wore an eye-catching outfit to the Grammy Awards . 15 April 2020.
  19. Web site: 5 Crazy Lady Gaga Philip Treacy Hats . Hepburnette.com . 2014 . 15 April 2020.
  20. Web site: Philip Treacy's Trippiest, Most Dazzling Hats . 25 October 2015 . Architectural Digest . "Daphne is a rare bird. She's a fashion contradiction. No designer owns her. Whatever Daphne wears, she owns." Treacy says of Guinness . Colleen . Egan . 15 April 2020.
  21. News: Top Hat... Philip Treacy's two decades of creating masterpieces . 18 October 2015 . Bairbre . Power . . 15 April 2020.
  22. Hats Off To Grace Jones' Favorite Head Topper. Essence. Patrik . Henry Bass . 10 November 2011 . The style icon tapped the milliner as art director and designer for her 2009 sold-out "Hurricane" tour. Long before that collaboration, Grace was sporting the milliner’s works of art in videos and special appearances. . 15 April 2020.
  23. News: Top Hat... Philip Treacy's two decades of creating masterpieces . . 18 October 2015 . Philip Treacy's mission as a hat designer is to be creative and, as he says himself, he likes "to make hats that make the heart beat faster". . 15 April 2020 . Bairbre . Power.
  24. News: The perfect hat . . Philip . Treacy . 22 May 2001 . Everyone thinks you need confidence to wear a beautiful hat, but this perfect hat will instead give you the courage and the energy to carry it off. . 15 April 2020 .
  25. News: Philip Treacy: King of Royal wedding hats . . 29 April 2011 . 15 April 2020.
  26. News: Princess Beatrice's royal wedding hat sells for more than $130,000 on EBay . . 22 May 2011 . The princess plans to give the money (final bid: 81,100.01 pounds, which is around $131,134) from the 10-day auction to UNICEF UK and Children in Crisis via her Little Bee Initiative campaign. . 15 April 2020 . Emily . Christianson.
  27. Web site: Royal hat-maker Philip Treacy 'feared head on spike' . . 8 July 2018 . 15 April 2020.
  28. Web site: Philip Treacy Hat (c. 2011): Gift of Melinda B. Hildebrand, 2012. . Accession Number: 2012.519 (search item 171324) . 15 April 2020.
  29. News: Irish designer Philip Treacy created 20 hats for the British royal wedding – including Oprah's . . 19 May 2018 . Treacy designed hats for Oprah Winfrey, Priyanka Chopra, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate Middleton for Meghan and Harry's big day . 15 April 2020 . Karen . Birney.
  30. All the Hats at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Wedding . . 19 May 2018 . There was a lot of Philip Treacy. . 15 April 2020 . Tamara . Abraham.
  31. News: Meghan Markle chose Irish designer Philip Treacy hat for first 'royal outing' . . 27 December 2017 . 15 April 2020 . Bairbre . Power.
  32. News: Meghan's first official duty tops off hat-maker Philip Treacy's rise . Jennifer . O'Brien . . 24 May 2018 . Hats off to him. Philip Treacy, the Galway-born milliner, has cemented his position as the primary choice of hatmaker for the royal family. . 15 April 2020.
  33. News: Queen's patronage has single-handedly saved the British hat industry, Philip Treacy says . . 8 July 2018 . 15 April 2020 . Hannah . Furness.
  34. Web site: 2023-05-08 . King Charles coronation: Irish hat designer Philip Treacy says role in ceremony was ‘greatest honour’ of his career . 2023-12-28 . www.independent.ie . en.
  35. Web site: Philip Treacy 'Hatforms' at IMMA Thursday. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 5 April 2001 . 15 April 2020.
  36. News: Who wants to be a milliner. The Guardian. Jess . Cartner-Morley. 16 April 2002. He has created hats to accompany the catwalk collections of Alexander McQueen and Valentino, has been named British Accessory Designer of the Year five times, and was the first milliner in 80 years to be invited by French fashion's governing body, the Chambre Syndicale, to take part in the Parisian haute couture shows . 15 April 2020.
  37. Philip Treacy . . 9 March 2010 . In 2000, he was the first milliner in 70 years to be invited by the Chambre Syndicale to show his collection during the Haute Couture fashion week in Paris . 15 April 2020.
  38. Web site: Victoria & Albert: Philip Treacy . Victoria and Albert Museum . 15 April 2020.
  39. Web site: Search The Met Collection: Philip Treacy . MetMuseum.com . 15 April 2020.
  40. Web site: Exhibition in Florence: The Hat Between Art and Extravaganza. 28 November 2013. Despite prevailing specimens of known names of the fashion house such as Christian Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Gianfranco Ferre and international famous milliners of the present and the past like Philip Treacy, Stephen Jones, Caroline Reboux, Claude Saint-Cyr, and [Madame] Paulette [..]. FIRENZE . 15 April 2020.
  41. 7 Chic Hats We've Fallen Head Over Heels For This Summer . Vogue. Lynn . Yaeger. 24 June 2015. As Philip Treacy, one of our greatest living milliners, once said, "Wearing a hat is fun! People have a good time when they're wearing a hat". . 15 April 2020.
  42. Thriller Night: At Philip Treacy, the King of Pop's Wardrobe Meets Its Millinery Match . Vogue . Lynn . Yaeger . 17 September 2012 . On one thing, at least, the ecstatic throng can agree—it is a London show like none other, and Gaga is right: Treacy is perhaps the greatest milliner in the world . 15 April 2020.
  43. News: Irish hat designer Philip Treacy turns royal heads with OBE award. Irish Examiner. 20 November 2007. 15 April 2020. 20 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180920122753/https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/irish-hat-designer-philip-treacy-turns-royal-heads-with-obe-award-48391.html. dead.
  44. News: Prince honours king of the hats . . Irishman Philip Treacy (40) received an honorary OBE at a special ceremony hosted by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, at their Clarence House home. The fashion designer was appointed an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). The honour was conferred on Philip by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his services to the British Fashion industry . 20 November 2007 . 15 April 2020 . Bairbre . Power.
  45. News: Stamp Of Approval. . 10 July 2010 . 15 April 2020 . Deirdre . McQuillan .
  46. Web site: Magnificent Irish fashionista stamps . 23 January 2014 . World Stamp News . 18 July 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203001930/http://www.worldstampnews.com/2010/07/magnificent-irish-fashionista-stamps/. 3 February 2014.
  47. News: Irish designer Philip Treacy weds long-term love in Las Vegas – and celebrates with Cher. Irish Independent. 7 May 2017 . 15 April 2020 . Patricia . Murphy.
  48. The Master Hatter . . March 2007 . Being the second youngest of seven boys, and with one sister who was the eldest child, Philip recollects, "I thought my sister, Marion, was the most glamorous girl in the world. She was a huge inspiration to me. She was my introduction to fashion and magazines. She worked as a nurse in London and used to come home on holidays with all these great magazines like Harper's and Queen and Vogue, which I'd never seen.". Marilyn . Cole Lownes. 15 April 2020.
  49. News: Irish milliner Philip Treacy 'feared head on spike' over Beatrice hat. . 8 July 2018 . One of the strongest memories I have is being in somebody's house and my father's friend saying don't you think that's a little odd, don't you think it's a bit strange this child is doing this?' And I remember distinctly my father saying: 'Whatever makes him happy'. It moves me still. . 15 April 2020.
  50. News: Raise your hat to Philip. . Mary . O'Sullivan . 15 April 2001 . 15 April 2020.
  51. Web site: Philip Treacy Interview. Culch.ie. 3 June 2009. Darragh. Doyle. 15 April 2020.
  52. News: Irish milliner Philip Treacy. 8 July 2018. . Treacy also spoke candidly to Young about how he has overcome some of the losses in his life with the help of close friend and eccentric collaborator Grace Jones. "If you told somebody you were getting advice from Grace Jones they would probably tell you you need your head examined," said Treacy. "But she actually gives really good advice".. 15 April 2020.

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