Escape With Philip Treacy

What do hats and holidays have in common? Just ask Phillip Treacy and he'll tell you: escapism. That's why, when the famed milliner was offered the opportunity to design hats specifically for holidaymakers, he jumped at the chance.

The designer teamed up with Thomson travel agents to create a collection of limited edition sunhats for women and children - to be presented free of charge to guests at the new Sensatori resort in Turkey.

"Sometimes packing a great hat is the last thing you'd consider - but it's a key item for practical reasons, to protect from the sun, as well as for decorative purposes," he told us. "Hats are about escapism and so are holidays and hotels - it's about having an experience that you wouldn't normally have in your everyday life. People want to dress up a bit on holiday. It's about enjoying oneself!"

Treacy took inspiration from the glamorous pool parties of the Fifties in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills ("imagine Liz Taylor by the pool"), for the wide-brim designs - which come in a variety of colourways and feature bendable wire in the rim, allowing for the ultimate in poolside posing. The initiative also marked the designer's first foray into childrenswear.

"Children are very specific - they'll either like it or dislike it. But the best part is that they don't worry about it, they just have fun. It was really fun to do. I get inundated with hat designs from children from schools, from various competitions that they do. So far I've never made any of them, but I always reply and say, 'Oh, I've got competition!'"