The Bite Magazine - Summer 2012 - Issue 5

headpiece. Whether it was embraced or mocked, the hat certainly did not go unnoticed. Philip Treacy’s career started with an early interest in fashion. At a young age, Treacy was fascinated with the churchgoers’ attire in his small Irish hometown and began making clothes for his sister’s dolls. He went on to study fashion at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, followed by an MA in Fashion Design at London’s Royal College of Art, where he graduated with first class honours. Still, it was all about the hats. Treacy designed hats for fun to go along with his designs, which eventually caught the attention of the late Isabella Blow, then Style Editor at Tatler. Blow took Treacy under her wing, and since then he has designed for everyone from Karl Lagerfeld to Alexander McQueen, earning five British Accessory Designer of theYear titles at the British Fashion Awards along the way. Treacy’s hats have influenced many fashion designers before (remember that episode of Project Runway?) and now they have inspired another type of designer, internationally renowned British designer and furniture manufacturer, Christopher Guy. This past May, the Christopher Guy Britweek Design challenge required participants to design a piece of furniture or decoration inspired by one of Philip Treacy’s hats, but keeping in mind Christopher Guy’s aesthetic. Philip Treacy was on the judging panel, and arrived at the BritWeek opening celebration with cars of models in tow, sporting his couture hats in striking black and white and gravity- defying shapes. The event held at Christopher Guy’s new West Hollywood showroom on May 5 th and hosted by Christopher himself and Lady Kinvara Balfour, saw these same models parade Treacy’s retrospective collection of hats in a glamorous catwalk show choreographed by Emmy Award-winning Producer, Birgit C Muller. Lady Kinvara Balfour, a prominent supporter of British fashion, wore a Philip Treacy hat to the event, chosen especially for her by him. Praising the hat designer, she said: “Philip Treacy is undoubtedly one of the greatest milliners that ever lived. The guy is a genius - and an incredibly nice one, at that. From the collaborations he did with the late Alexander McQueen to the creations he has produced for the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga and the British Royal Family, it’s clear that he is a true visionary. I was thrilled to have been able to co-host an event to celebrate his remarkable work. Philip is a national treasure and a huge asset to British fashion and he rightfully has fans all over the world.” Philip Treacy was honoured with the BritWeek Designer of theYear Award, presented to him by Italian/ Greek actress Sofia Milos at an event that coincided with the opening of Christopher Guy’s new flagship furniture showroom in West Hollywood. “It was Event Images courtesy of Rex Gelert hats off to PHILLIPTREACY