London-based milliner Philip Treacy works with M.A.C on a make-up collaboration for the first time

Singapore — If you followed Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding very closely, you would have noticed a large percentage of female guests decked to the nines, wearing very lovely — and some pretty outrageous-looking — headpieces that hung delicately on their crowns.

Many, of course, were the creations of Irish-born London-based milliner Philip Treacy, who crafted 36 hats for some of the ceremony’s best-dressed, such as Victoria Beckham’s pillbox hat, and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice’s eye-catching headgear.

Treacy’s illustrious career took off when he introduced his creations to the late Isabella Blow, an English magazine editor who took to his designs swiftly and started sporting his hats everywhere.

He later dipped further into the fashion pond and designed fanciful headgear for fashion designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren and Alexander McQueen, as well as for films such as Sex And The City (remember Sarah Jessica Parker’s too-cool-for-school headpiece?) and the Harry Potter series. Suffice it to say, Treacy has his own celebrity following in the likes of Lady Gaga, Kate Moss and Madonna.

And now, the celebrated couture hat designer has delved into the world of beauty, specifically M.A.C Cosmetics’ make-up domain. Taking inspiration from his works, Treacy created a spectacular trio of headpieces that beautifully flaunt the natural structure of the face. With each hat, he has created product offerings that enhance the face’s features.

The collection features a brush; highlighters in two shades of pink that lend radiance to skin; lipsticks in magenta berry, hot pink and burgundy red; eyeliner shades in blue, teal and royal black with high-staying power; and metallic eye shadow in silver and gold.

Q: You produced three different hats for this collaboration. Where did you get your inspiration?

A: My inspiration comes from three different genres of hats that I’ve created over the years. One came from a very colourful perspective, one came from a metallic perspective and one was a sort of gothic drama.

Q: When you were creating these pieces, were you thinking about how they related to beauty or make-up?

A: All hats relate to beauty and make-up, because hats enhance the features of a person’s face. That’s the point of a hat. Make-up does exactly the same thing. It improves the person and we all need to be improved. A hat is the ultimate glamour accessory; it’s the ultimate symbol of luxury, because you need shoes, you need clothes, but you don’t need a hat. But you do need a hat because it’s food for the soul. You don’t need make-up, but you do need make-up.

Q: Your work has explored many different notions of beauty that are inspired by countless subjects. Do you have a core philosophy about what beauty is?

A: Beauty is a big word and it means different things to different people. To me, nature is the ultimate beauty, the ultimate perfection. I also love colour. We live in a world of colour and that’s why make-up can make you feel better. But need I tell M.A.C about colour? That’s the point, I think. That’s the point of the lipstick and that’s why I chose the colours I chose.

Q: You’ve been designing hats for 25 years and you’ve done so many different types of collaborations. What do you think it says about the evolution of hats that they’ve now become the subject of a collection by a global beauty brand?

A: I think it’s a great fit because when you meet someone or when you have a conversation with someone, you talk to their face. You don’t talk to their foot. One wears make-up on the face and hats on the head, so to embellish or enhance the face or the head is the most potent way of decorating because these are what we’re looking at.

Q: What are some of your favourite hats that you’ve designed?

A: It’s always the next hat that you’re going to make. You will always think you could have done better, so you don’t think too much about what you’ve done before.

Q: Why do you think you and M.A.C make a good fit?

A: Well, M.A.C is a rebel of a company and I deal in rebellious headwear. It has always been experimental, very inclusive and they’ve always been very encouraging of my shows. It’s young. The word M.A.C means young, fresh and hip.

Q: Just like your hats?

A: Just like my hats.

Transcript courtesy of M.A.C.

The M.A.C x Philip Treacy collection is now available at M.A.C stores and counters at TANGS Orchard, Robinsons Heeren, Ngee Ann City and Sephora ION Orchard and prices range from S$30 to S$62.