PARIS HAUTE COUTURE: ARMANI PRIVÉ FALL/WINTER 11

A match made in heaven. Armani garments with Philip Treacy millinery. One of my favourite shows this year.

When I was interning at Philip Treacy for two months at the beginning of Summer, I saw the samples of the Armani hats being created before my eyes. As you can imagine, I saw a lot of hats whilst I was working there, but none took my breath away quite as much as the hats created for Armani Paris Haute Couture - and they were only samples. 

Clearly oriental inspired, this collection is so mesmerising. I love how the floral patterned silk contrasts with the harsh blocked black velvet. I'm in awe of the handbags from this show too, so elegant and simply beautiful. 

My favourite bag from the collection - this long velvet clutch with the amber jewel. Look at the heron fastening!

From the simple felt bow head pieces to the elaborate geisha-esque works of art, the Philip Treacy millinery that accompanies this show compliments the style so well. Obviously, I am bias considering Philip Treacy can do no wrong in my eyes, but I really believe that his hats steal the show for me. The garments are so sleek, sexy and sultry and I feel that the hats marry with the clothing so beautifully. The hats are architectural and structural, therefore they contrast so charmingly with the slick clothes. 

Some of the hats mimic the hairstyles of Japanese women. 

Others are bows that replicate Obi knots. 

And some are enchanted Japanese blossoms 

This show is so perfect to me - the drama, the colours, the materials and the flair. To me this show is so appealing because of the neat contrasts between sleek and harsh. On one hand, I love the sharp origami silhouettes but we are also being introduced to soft tailoring with the silk sheath like garments. These two combinations just work so gorgeously. Absolutely beautiful. 

Simple tailored printed silk fabrics following the natural contours of the models silhouette 

Bolder folded origami style structured clothing is later introduced.

This is a show to be admired on so many levels. From the prints to the fabric. From the jewels to the accessories. This show is desirable to any audience.

Please please watch this. The hats and garments become more and more beautiful as the show progresses.

STUNNING.

xoxo

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

YES! Its the hat.

I am in love with foxes. I recently sited one outside my house (very unusual as my area is so urban) and named him Pierre. 

I love this hat, I bought it on line a couple of years ago and I think its so cute. Its made of felt so it does not crease and is water resistant. Whenever the weather is crummy, I wear this and feel better. All hats are made from scratch to order too.

I got it from this website www.kyaaa.biz

There are lots of different animal designs, here are some of my favourites.

I am fascinated by hats. I think hats are an extension of ones self, you can tell a lot about a person judging by the hat they are wearing. 

Hats are so daring to me, I wish more people wore hats. A good hat can really communicate the look you are trying to create, it can really take an outfit to a whole new level. 

Me looking very Pete Doherty at a house party nearly two years ago. I wore this bowler hat with a white lace dress to toughen it up a little. When I see these photographs I kind of miss my black hair...

I think anyone can wear and look good in a hat. I think wearing a hat takes courage but the gamble pays off when you marry a beautiful hat with the perfect outfit. 

My favourite hat of all time! How could I not refer back to this when I'm writing a blog about hats? It reminds me of a mint humbug. With this, I'd wear a very plain outfit. A black dress would do. 

I still feel unbelievably honoured to own this Philip Treacy hat. It stays neatly in its rightful box!

I was so thrilled when I worked at Philip Treacy as I was able to expand my knowledge of millinery. I applied for many Fashion internships after I finished my first year at University and I can honestly say that I wanted to work with Philip Treacy the most - even above my heroine Vivienne Westwood. I felt this way because there is so much you can learn from accessories. At University I have been fortunate enough to learn the basic crafts of a Fashion student - pattern cutting, sewing and actually bringing Fashion drawings to a finished fully functional garment, but I'd never worked closely with accessories. I've always had a love for hats so working at Philip's studio was a dream. I loved being able to see how hats are developed and it was beautiful. The hard work it takes to create a hat is astounding to say the least.

I felt that working at Philip Treacy really aided me to broaden my Fashion horizons. I was essentially taking a crash course in something I'd had no prior knowledge of at University. If I worked for a clothing designer, I knew the basics of how a garment is made. With hats, from the creative process to devising a finished piece was a mystery to me. 

One woman who I think can carry a hat like no other is Isabella Blow - she was a close friend of Philip Treacy. She had a "more is more" attitude, no design was ever too over the top for her. I think this philosophy has been applied to the hats she wore. I love her signature flamboyant style. I also love referring back to her quotes - one of my favourites "If you don't wear lipstick, I can't talk to you" headlines my page.

 I also love her response to why she wears such elaborate hats (the majority of the hats she wore were Philip Treacy designs)...

"...To keep everyone away from me. They say, Oh, can I kiss you? I say, No, thank you very much. That's why I've worn the hat. Goodbye. I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love."

Here is Isabella Blow wearing some of my favourite Philip Treacy creations.

How could you not be in awe of these hats? I could spend hours pining over the detailing of these beautiful creations. You can imagine how beside myself I must have been working there...

Other celebrities have turned to Philip Treacy for avant garde millinery.

Britney Spears

Cheryl Cole

Beyonce

Pamela Anderson

Grace Jones and Iman

Naomi Campbell

And probably most famously...

Gaga

Maybe if I am very lucky, I'd love to work for Stephen Jones one day too, just to see how another milliner works. 

I'm excited for what the future holds, if I was fortunate enough to be rewarded with such a wonderful internship in my first year of University, I'm very excited with the prospect of working with other designers too.