Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown…

…but not the head that wears a Philip Treacy hat to the Royal Wedding.  Treacy, who has styled everyone from her majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Lady Gaga (and THAT is the mother of all contrasts), will be crowning the heads of more than just the royals for the big day.  The exuberant Irish born milliner has been busy since the invitations were sent.  Although Treacy will not reveal his styles or customers for the wedding, given his past work any commoner can venture a guess that it will include a mix of celebrities and members of the royal party (perhaps even Kate Middleton herself).  Needless to say, it will be far from boring.

Treacy started his own company Philip Treacy ltd. in 1991 after his graduation hat show from London’s Royal College was a success.  Fostered by renowned magazine writer and style icon Isabella Blow and operating out of her basement, Treacy began designing hats for Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel, won multiple British Designer of the Year Awards, and opened his own shop.  Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss wore his designs down the catwalk for his first London Fashion Week show in 1993.  Since then, Treacy has collaborated with Alexander McQueen, Donna Karen, Ralph Lauren, Givenchy, Valentino, Versace, Helmut Lang, Thierry Mugler, and others.

Although he will not be present next Friday, Treacy will be represented by his hats.  He did attend the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall.  Treacy described the April 2005 wedding as “the most interesting day of (his) life,”…”to see the future Queen of England coming round the corner towards me in one of my hats was just amazing.”  That is not even the cap off; Treacy has designed for the film Harry Potter, fashion models, Sarah Jessica Parker, and has even been featured for a Project Runway design challenge.

On April 29, approximately two billion people will be tuning in to watch the royal wedding, on TV and in central London.  I will be amongst the crowd, and although I could not be happier for the couple, I am going for the same reason I watch the British Academy Film Awards: the fashion.  One person’s royal affair is another person’s style buffet.

Kate’s dress is the current hysterical highlight being hypothesised, but it is just one dress.  There are very few occasions where royals, government officials, celebrities, and style icons from all over the world are together in attendance and dressed for the wedding of the century.  I am sure that Kate’s dress selection will be spectacular, but if it should turn out to be a couture-astrophe, there will be plenty of style to revel over, including Philip Treacy’s marvellous hats and headpieces.  All I am saying is if we “normal people” can be stylish on a budget, the stars have no excuse to disappoint.