Enduring supermodel Iman was pictured wearing this exquisite Philip Treacy creation at a party for the Irish milliner in New York. The celebrations were thrown to welcome him back to the Big Apple, where he was taking appointments at his Bergdorf Goodman boutique for the first time in eight years.
The designer had just jetted in from Melbourne, where his latest show has been winning plaudits. It includes 30 striking pieces, all designed for his old friend, Tatler fashion director Isabella Blow.
One of the most memorable items is a realistic 18th-century ship made entirely from miniature buttons. The collection also features a piece called "The Castle" which was inspired by Blow's ancestral home at Doddington in Cheshire, and Philip again payed tribute to the journalist with "Horns", a black satin representation of her flock of Soays sheep.
"Issy taught me to look at hats in a new context," says Philip. "She allowed me to think beyond the old-fashioned idea of a hat, and challenge people's perception of it."
The two first met while Treacy was attending London's Royal College of Art in 1989. He gave one of his creations to the then fashion director at Tatler, Michael Roberts, but it was Isabella's attention he won. She was the magazine's style editor at the time, and she fell in love with his gift. After appropriating the green felt number, she determined to meet its young designer. "She tracked me down and we've been working together ever since," says Philip.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
