Lady Gaga agrees: When it comes to hats, Philip Treacy is tops

Couture milliner Philip Treacy thinks American women can learn a stylish lesson from their European counterparts. Don’t wait for Derby Days or Easter to don a hat. Instead make every day a special occasion.

In between outfitting the always eye-catching Lady Gaga in her architecturally heavy Grammy hat (he collaborated with Giorgio Armani who designed Gaga’s shimmering Armani Prive gown) and preparing for the ready-to-wear shows, Treacy fit in a Texas trip. Fresh off art directing Grace Jones’ world tour, Treacy gave an adoring Neiman Marcus crowd of Houston hat-wearers a peek at spring. Colors reached across the spectrum from pale to hot pink and designs were equally as broad. Wide-brimmed hats gave way to what could best be described as a satellite dish with a sprig of flowers in the middle.

“Women who are conservative dressers can add something extra with a hat,” Treacy said. “Hat wearers are really misunderstood because people assume they are extroverts when actually they are shy and hats give them confidence.”

It does take a certain amount of je ne sais quoi to don some of his more beautifully outlandish toppers (think Sarah Jessica Parker’s green floral number from the Sex and the City premiere) but as he says, he designs for housewives and royalty alike.

“Hats are a personal choice and really give a person the chance to assert their sense of independence,” Treacy says. Surprisingly, clients such as Lady Gaga and Grace Jones allow Treacy to have free reign.

“Lady Gaga is definitely interesting but she chooses from what I make,” he says. The duo have developed a strong rapport and Treacy is collaborating with her for her concert tour in London.

For the rest of us, Treacy also designs ready-to-wear hats and says once you’ve put on a hat, don’t take it off. “You wouldn’t take your underwear off at an event would you? You miss the whole point if you take it off,” Treacy says.

His hats will next be seen on the runway at the Valentino and Alexander McQueen shows because as he says, “glamour is the ultimate accessory.”

• Grammy Awards, hats, Neiman Marcus
• Lady Gaga, Philip Treacy

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