Photo Courtesy of Philip Treacy/Kevin Davies.

Philip Treacy was born in County Galway in the West of Ireland, and grew up with his parents and seven brothers and sisters across the street from a small church. As a young child, he was inspired by churchgoers in their Sunday best, and began making clothes and hats for his sisters’ dolls.

As a teenager he moved to Dublin to study fashion at the National College of Art & Design, where he made hats to compliment the clothes he designed in his classes. When he had to arrange for an apprenticeship, he chose to spend six weeks with the London hat designer Stephen Jones. He then went on to the Royal College of Art in London, where he pioneered their millinery program. During his time in London, he met Isabella Blow, who took an immediate liking to Treacy and his hats. They shared an affinity for the eccentric, and she asked him to design a hat for her wedding, in keeping with the medieval theme of her dress.

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Photo Courtesy of Martin Meissner/Associated Press.

In a piece published earlier this week in the New York Times, Exploring the Grace in Lace, fashion journalist Suzy Menkes examines the newfound enthusiasm for lace, sparked by the Royal Wedding. “Since then, there has been a fashion frenzy for lace,” she notes. But it is not the overtly sensual lace one might find in the boudoir that is causing all the commotion – rather, it is a more ladylike lace that has come into fashion. On Spring ’12 runways, we saw delicate lace and eyelet at Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, and Valentino. It was not used so much as an embellishment, but as “a surface texture laid on solid materials,” for an effect that was elegant and graceful, even at times innocent.

Six different laces were used to create the unique appliquéd motifs on the Alexander McQueen dress that Sarah Burton designed for the Duchess of Cambridge. Each type of lace displayed a different symbol of the United Kingdom: the rose of England, Scottish thistles, Welsh daffodils, and Irish shamrocks. The symbols were individually cut from the lace, and hand appliquéd onto the satin organza bodice and train by experts at the Royal School of Needlework, producing a truly stunning effect.

The influence of the dress is undeniable. It sparked a reverence for handcrafts and artistry that has been endangered in recent years, and ushered in a new era of modern elegance, with Kate Middleton leading the charge.

To read the full article, click here.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards are coming up this Sunday, so we thought we’d take a look back at some of the most memorable dresses from past years. Yards of lace and tulle, intricate beading and pleating, and enough jewels to buy a small island – glamour becomes an understatement. These are just a few of our favorites, but the list goes on and on. What is your favorite look from the Oscars? And what do you hope to see this year? Tell us in the comments below!

Reese Witherspoon in Valentino, 2002. And in Olivier Theyskens for Nina Ricci, 2007.

Plunging in the front – Lauren Hutton, 1975. And in the back – Hilary Swank in Guy Laroche, 2005.

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In today’s Monday Morning Photos, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite looks from last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. There were lots of gorgeous jewel tones, as well as several stunning gowns (and one jumpsuit) in soft shades of white and cream. Who do you think was best dressed? Tell us in the comments below!

Stacy Keibler in Marchesa.

Emily Blunt in Oscar de la Renta.

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In today’s edition of Monday Morning Photos, Fashion School Daily is celebrating Valentino Garavani – who just this morning unveiled the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum. The virtual space allows users to delve into the world of Valentino like never before. Different “wings” of the museum house over 300 dress from the archives, organized by themes. It also boasts sketches, illustrations, videos, and more from the designer’s celebrated career. We’ve picked a few of our favorite Valentino dresses from the ages in honor of this momentous day.

Sienna Miller wearing a dress from the 2007 Haute Couture Fall/Winter Collection to the designer’s 45th Anniversary Gala. Photo Courtesy of Zimbio.com

Julia Roberts wearing a gorgeous black & white Valentino from the 1992 Haute Couture Fall/Winter Collection the night she won Best Actress for her role in Erin Brockovich. Photo Courtesy of Marie Claire.

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Next Monday, the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum will be live! Valentino is the first designer to curate a permanent exhibition of his work in digital form – and it looks like it’s going to be pretty amazing. The virtual museum can be downloaded to your computer, and connects to an online database that uses real time 3D technology to create an environment that makes you feel as if you are there in person.

Over 300 dresses from the Valentino archive were documented for the museum, and will be organized by different themes. The museum will also have sketches, illustrations, ad campaigns, editorials and more from the prolific and talented designer. There will also be videos and photos from special events such as the 1968 White Collection and 2011 White Fairy Tale Love Ball.

On Monday, December 5th Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti (whom many came to know through the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor), are hosting a press conference at 11 AM in NYC (8 AM West Coast Time), to reveal the full contents of the museum. It will be livestreamed for an international audience on YouTube – we can’t wait to tune in and witness this amazing marriage of fashion and technology!

Gladys Perint Palmer continues her reports from her time in Paris. This time, she shares some pics from a little soiree given by a designer you may have heard about…

July 7, 2010

Valentino gives a party at the Château de Wideville — an hour outside Paris.

Château de Wideville

At night it’s pink

Follow the jump for more pictures — including some of Gwyneth (as in Paltrow).
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Valentino: The Last Emperor is on DVD and you probably already have it in your movie library; but is your copy signed by Valentino? Is it signed by the film’s director Matt Tyrnauer (by the way, he was a visitor at our school last semester)? Is it signed by both Valentino and Matt Tyrnauer? Would you like a copy signed by both of them? Are you tired of me asking questions?

Signed copies of the acclaimed film are now available for purchase but there are in limited quantities. To purchase a copy visit www.valentinomovie.com.

Director of Valentino: The Last Emperor (a must see if you haven’t done so already) and former guest of the university, Matt Tyrnauer recently wrote up an interesting piece for Tory Burch’s (the queen of emblematic flats – her logo looks like a doubloon) website.

His piece, “Valentino’s Guide to Perfect Living” is quite specific. From perfumed hallways to perfumed pugs, this guide promises to give you a perfect life (hence the title). Take a look at the guide by clicking the picture below.

So if we do all of the aforementioned tips, our life will be perfect? I am willing to give it a shot. I guess I have to go buy a bunch of pugs now.