Philip Treacy OBE (pronounced Tree-see not Tray-see, born 26 May 1967) is an Irish milliner and designer based in London. Read full biography of Philip Treacy →
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.
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.
Try on 100 different hats if you can, until you find the one that suits you best. It's a trial and error thing.
When people think of hats, they think of her majesty the queen.
At home, I had seven brothers, one sister. I sewed clothes for my sister's dolls although she was grown and gone away. I was a weirdo but... →
Hats are attached to special moments in people's lives - weddings, or the races. In difficult times, people still get married; they still want to... →
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... →
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.... →
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... →
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... →
The success of a hat definitely lies with balancing the personality of the wearer with the type of occasion. Don't listen to those rules about... →
What I love most about Her Majesty is that she has kept hats alive in people's minds for more than 60 years. You can't think of her without... →
Women come into our shop for that ultimate moment in their life. They're buying a dream. They're buying a moment for themselves. That's... →
Philip Treacy OBE (pronounced Tree-see not Tray-see, born 26 May 1967) is an Irish milliner and designer based in London.