Philip Treacy's My London

Home is…

Elizabeth Street. You have Eaton Square at one end and Victoria Coach Station at the other so it’s a Magimix version of life.

What advice would you give a tourist?
London is not all about Abercrombie & Fitch and the Hard Rock Café.

What’s your earliest London memory?
Arriving by coach from Ireland aged 16 and being blown away by the grandeur of the city. I thought I had gone to heaven.

What’s the best meal you’ve had in London?
Anything from The Wolseley. I love the mashed potatoes – I would, though, because I’m Irish.

What’s the most romantic thing someone’s done for you?
Five years ago Elizabeth Taylor sent me 100 violet roses, the same colour as her eyes, and a poem she had written for me.

If you could live in any building in London which would it be?
Big Ben. Pugin architecture is exquisite. Every time I see it I feel lucky. It always makes my heart jump.

Which shops do you rely on?
Watts & Co, the ecclesiastical suppliers on Tufton Street in Westminster, because it’s one of the most unusual shops I’ve been to and provides me with inspiration. I love Pimlico Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings for flowers, bread and veg. I find everything in Daylesford delicious. You can do the best window-shopping in London down Pimlico Road.

What are you up to at the moment?
Making hats for Lady Gaga. She’s a sweetheart. She understands that to get the best out of someone you have to let them do what they do.

Which animal would you like to be?
I love racehorses, they are the animal kingdom’s supermodels.

Where did you last go on holiday?
I spent a week in the Big Sur in California with my partner Stefan. The cliffscapes are breathtaking and the vastness of the landscape is humbling.

Do you have a recurring dream?
The show is about to begin and I forgot to make the hats.

What was the last play you saw?
Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein at the National Theatre with Jonny Lee Miller. He is married to my friend, the actress Michele Hicks. It was incredible.

What’s your biggest extravagance?
I bought a golden 18th-century Russian sleigh from Sotheby’s on Bond Street. I refer to it as my Ferrari. It’s a total fantasy.