Philip Treacy

(image from phaidon.com):

is a design genius extraordinaire.

His millinery sensations are head turning show-stoppers,

which are objects of praise, fascination, curiosity and sometimes outrage.

Recall the Treacy creation, which

Princess Beatrice wore to the wedding of the decade

that of her cousin Prince William and Katherine Middleton.

An unique creation, which merited its own Facebook fan page

and was also decried in some circles, for at best resembling a pretzel and

at worst a toilet seat: indeed very mixed reactions.

(image from vanityfair.com):

Princess Beatrice in Philip Treacy

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Yet, as with any bold statement maker,

there’s bound to be a bit of controversy –

a Treacy design is not for the faint of heart.

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Born in Ireland into a large family, Philip Treacy attended

The National College of Art and Design, Dublin

where he began creating hats as accessories to his clothes design.

He focused on millinery arts while studying for his

MA in Fashion Design at the Royal College of Arts, London.

His MA show attracted the attention of influential fashion industry maverick

Isabella Blow who became mentor and chief aficionado of the Philip Treacy brand.

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Isabella Blow in Philip Treacy

(image from orindaartdesignstudio.blogspot.com):

Isabella Blow and Philip Treacy

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(images from graziadaily.co.uk):

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(image from styleite.com):

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Like Isabella Blow, fashion fearless recording artist

Lady Gaga is a great admirer of Philip Treacy.

She has collaborated with Treacy

in creating many of her avant garde hat wear pieces .

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Lady Gaga in Philip Treacy

(image from peoplestylewatch.com):

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(image from coolspotter.com):

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(image from look-dei-vip.it):

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(image from irishcentral.com):

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Philip Treacy’s most recent offering, S/S 2013

is inspired by music industry vanguard artists,

Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.

Gaga walked in the runway presentation as the opening model.

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(images from vogue.co.uk):