The Bite Magazine - Spring Summer 2013

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JADA BROOKES REVIEWS A SELECTION OF RECENTLY
PUBLISHED DESIGNER BOOKS
British photographer Kevin
Davies’ book Philip Treacy
enters the extraordinary life of
one of the world’s most famous and
influential milliners. Hat designer to
top fashion houses, celebrities and
international royalty, Philip Treacy is
renowned for his unique creations
which are described as hand-made
feats of craftsmanship. The designer,
favoured by fashion designers such as
Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld,
Valentino and Chanel, became the
first milliner to have his own couture
show during Paris Fashion Week in
2000. PhilipTreacy represents a never-
seen-before, 20-year collaboration
between the revered hat designer
and his long-time friend,Kevin Davies,
which documents an exclusive side
of Treacy’s life, work and creative
process.
In his foreword, Philip Treacy
reveals the secret behind his
creations, “Every hat I have ever
made has begun in my mind as a
photograph. I can see it on the model,
at the right angle, before I even begin.
I can see what the girl’s going to look
like and how it’s going to be worn.”
Of the late magazine editor Isabella
Blow who discovered Treacy, he says,
“Isabella Blow was a great influence
on my interest in photography. She
taught me about what was good,
what was eclectic and what made
photographs fun.” On meeting Kevin
Davies for the first time, he says,
“When I first met Kevin, on a shoot
for American Vogue, he had been
briefed to capture a happy, laughing,
young designer. And I couldn’t do
it. Not because I was too grand – I’d
just left college – but because when
you’re first introduced to this world
of press, photography and interviews,
sometimes you don’t have all the
answers.”
The following pages present
imagery of work in progress taken by
Davies at PhilipTreacy’s three studios:
69 Elizabeth Street from 1990-1999,
Belgravia Studio from 1999-2004
and Battersea Studio from 2004 to
present day. Kevin Davies recalls
the first time he started working
with Philip Treacy, “I knew very
little about Philip Treacy before I
took my first photograph of him.
The shoot was set up at the house
of Isabella Blow, the style editor
for Tatler and long-time friend of
Philip’s. On creating hats, Philip
says, “I’ve always worked in the
mirror; it never lies. When I’m
working out the proportion and
shape of a hat, I can see where
anything is wrong much more
easily than I can when looking at
it directly.”
The book features behind-the-
scenes images of Grace Jones
modelling Philip’s hats in 1998 in
her hotel room, Fashion in Motion,
a monthly live catwalk event held
at the Victoria and Albert (V&A)
Museum and London Fashion
Week at the Natural History
Museum (where Grace Jones also
modelled his designs) in 1999,
Paris Fashion Week where the
hat designer delivered his haute
couture Orchid collection in 2000
and presented his haute couture
Andy Warhol collection in 2003.
There are also images of Philip
Treacy fitting Naomi Campbell’s
hat for her appearance at Royal
Ascot, a royal visit from Princess
Anne, the Harpers & Queen shoot
with Daphne Guinness, Amanda
Harlech and Isabella Blow and
the Tatler shoot with Erin
O’Connor.
The ‘Iconic Hats’ section
portrays a colourful collection of
Philip Treacy’s hats from the New
York & London show in 1999 and
the haute couture collection at
Paris Fashion Week in 2000, 2001
and 2003. It also features images
of the hats from Alexander
McQueen’s spring/summer
collection in 2008 including the
Orchid, Upside Down Rose,
Chinese Wedding Hat, Fuchsia
Swirl with Swarovski Crystals,
Fred Astaire Dancing on Discs
and Venetian Lace Wing, and iconic
designs such as the Large Black Swirl,
Rosewell, Picasso Hat, Red Feather
Salad, Madonna Rises Again, Black
andWhite Zebra Feather Hat, Sister
of the Ship and Oyster Hat.
The remaining pages capture
some personal and public moments
such as the funeral of Philip Treacy’s
faithful friend Mr Pig the dog, his
partner and friends at the G Hotel
in County Galway, Ireland where
Philip Treacy was born and Camilla
Parker Bowles’ hat for her wedding
to HRH The Prince of Wales, which
was made at his Battersea studio.
Also, images of the hats created
for Grace Jones’ appearance at the
Massive Attack Meltdown Festival
at the Royal Festival Hall, Kevin’s
daughter Alice’s Holy Communion,
Italian Vogue shoot with Daphne
Guinness and one of the biggest and
most exciting events in 2011 – the
Royal Wedding. Here, the behind-
the-scenes leading up to the event
is captured in the Battersea studio.
Kevin recalls, “I spent three days at
Philip’s studio immediately before
the Royal Wedding of William and
Kate. By the time I arrived the work
was nearly completed. I had seen lots
of mood boards with fabric swatches,
photos of clients, illustrations of
dresses and images of lots and lots
of hats. It was extraordinary, and
the ‘show’ was enormous: television
crews from America, hat fittings for
royalty, interviews, photo sessions
and everybody frantically finishing
the 36 hats for the event. Even
though, it was manic throughout the
building, the atmosphere appeared
upbeat. It was very difficult to keep
up with Philip as he was constantly
moved from room to room.”
A very interesting and enjoyable
book about the career of one of
the world’s most renowned and
respected milliners of our time,
Philip Treacy by Kevin Davies,
published by Phaidon is out now.
PHILIPTREACY