Phelan grew up in Exeter, and studied fashion at Somerset College of Arts and Technology.
In 1987 she took on a three-month internship with Sarajane Hoare at British Vogue which ultimately led to full-time employment as a fashion assistant.
[1] Until 2011, Phelan worked as a senior fashion director for Vogue, commissioning and directing some of the magazine's strongest photoshoots from the 1990s and 2000s.
[2] Her favoured photographers included Paolo Roversi, Nick Knight, Tim Walker and Corinne Day.
She chose two male and female ensembles by JW Anderson,[6] a designer who had previously caught her attention in 2012 when he was awarded Topshop sponsorship for his Spring-Summer 2013 collection.