London: Celebrity hatmaker Philip Treacy says he once presented 25 hats to screen legend Elizabeth Tylor when she requested him only for a pin.
Treacy, whose clientele includes names like Princess Beatrice, Lady Gaga and the late Isabella Blow, says his award was the time that he spent with the actress, who loved receiving gifts.
“A couple of years ago, I got a phone call, would Mr Treacy make a hatpin for Elizabeth Taylor? I said, ‘Might Miss Taylor like a hat to go with the hatpin?’ and the answer was yes,” Treacy said. “I went to see her at the Dorchester. I didn’t know whether I was going to be dealing with a very tricky person but she was a sweetheart.
25 hats were tried on by Taylor and Treacy presented all when asked, “which is to be kept”? “She said, ‘I must do something for you in return.’ But I’d got my return just by hanging out with her.” “I love the romance of what I do, although because of Isabella, Lady Gaga and Grace Jones, people think I have crazy customers. Sometimes I get more enthusiasm from the housewife who wants a hat and believes in it,” he said. PTI CORR BK 07121502 NNNN