British Milliner, Philip Treacy's SS'18 Collection Is Nothing Short Of Perfection

There is something evocative about Philip Treacy. At the age of 50, he seems to have become an institution, a reassuring presence in the volatile world of fashion. He has worked with every top designer in the world and dressed almost every famed face that we know of, but it’s a far cry from his upbringing in Ahascragh, a tiny village in West Ireland. Treacy grew up watching people dress up for weddings and that was equivalent to a “fashion show” for him. “The dresses that people wore, I couldn’t believe them, and they were incredible. It seemed so glamorous to see these creatures appear in these extraordinary clothes, as we didn’t have much glamour where I come from,” he says, with a hint of nostalgia. Glamour and fashion might seem to co-exist together, but back in the ’40s when the glory of wearing a python kilt in the environs of a Scottish Moore was considered “fashionable”, Treacy thought well to move to Dublin to pursue his career at The National College of Art & Design.

Always of a shy demeanour, his great friend and stylist extraordinaire Isabella Blow bought Treacy into the limelight, meeting him for the first time at the office of Tatler magazine. From there on, being starstruck by his creative wunderkind, Blow formed an innate bond of friendship with him that lasted until her death in 2007. “In 20 years I have met all my heroes and nobody in my honest true estimation surpassed her,” he says, talking about Blow. “Issie had an incredible intuition in spotting real talent and trajecting them into a global success,” he adds. Just like him, Blow was also famous for launching the career of late designer Alexander McQueen—she bought his entire collection from his Graduate Show at Central Saint Martins. Talking about McQueen, Treacy says, “Alexander’s fearlessness, courage, drive, and ambition pushed those of us around him to deliver our best work. Together Isabella, Alexander, and I were a trio of creative flow and we pushed the boundaries to the limit.”

Treacy takes me through his SS’18 collection that is yet to hit stores—as a part of an exclusive feature for BRIDES TODAY. Each piece strongly reflects distinctive craftsmanship skills and is translated to predominately hand-blocked shapes. There is an overlay of hand-rolled organza that creates a floating cloud effect on a dome hat or white-angled feathers that form a cyclone effect on the classic black pointed pillbox. Razor-sharp precision and couture-bearing artisanship can be seen on a pristine white close-fitted beret or a hand-woven panama, both embroidered with ribbon draping to give the fine-sewn braid a new flesh and flair. And though each hat starts off as a drawing, a prototype in a light flexible material that goes to block makers in Paris to be carved in wood or to be mauled in metal—the time taken for each hat ranges anywhere between three minutes to three days. So what might be the most challenging hats that Treacy has made? To that he replies, “The Sailing Ship hat was quite a feat. Inspired and created from a chapter in Olivier Bernier’s book, Pleasure and Privilege, where a British fleet admiral, d’Estaing, lost a famous battle to a French fleet, the hat represented a celebration of women in Paris who wore ships in their hair to go to the Opera.” The sails of the ship are comprised of paradise feathers, whereas the rigging is made from the featherbones. Focussing on le petite mains, the craftsmen in Treacy’s atelier in South London are regarded as a “religion” or a “way of life.”

Treacy also talks about India as a country with great potential for both men and women to wear hats. “I recently did a small show at the Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur during British Polo Day for their Highnesses, the Maharaja and Maharani of Jodhpur. The women were dressed in saris complemented by hats, and they looked incredibly glamorous!” It seems the key to Treacy’s success is that women don’t seem to think of a Philip Treacy hat in the same way that they might think of a handbag. Each of his hats has a life beyond just being an item of fashionable clothing and the wearer is known to treasure his creations for a distinctive emotional value. Having won many hearts with his breathtaking style, we ask him how he handles a creative block. To that he replies by concluding, “You always work it out!” Here's hoping we see his creations at the upcoming royal wedding.

All images: Courtesy