London Couture: British Luxury 1923 - 1975

Description

London Couture is the first book to examine, in detail, the luxurious garments produced by the rarefied London couture industry - from lavish ballgowns to sharply tailored suits, by way of spectacular royal dress - as well as the designers who conceived them, their clients and the prestigious publications that disseminated and promoted the `London Look' to the world. Expert authors from around the world have delved into the archives of prestigious designers, textile suppliers and fashionable journals, to bring together this pioneering study of the London Fashion houses of the early to mid-twentieth century, renowned for their superb craftsmanship and attention to detail. The full breadth of London's offering is examined, from royal favourite Norman Hartnell to pioneer Charles James, and prestigious houses such as Worth, Hardy Amies and Lucile. The ancillary dressmaking trades in London are also considered, as are the international market for London couture, and the impact of royal dress on high-end fashion. A wealth of visual material supports the extensive, original research - from beautiful features by celebrated photographer Norman Parkinson to the elegant illustrations of Francis Marshall. Previously unseen garments are illustrated throughout the book, alongside historical photography that documents the houses of the great designers, their favoured fabrics and their most glamorous clients, including Queen Elizabeth, Margot Fonteyn, Rose Kennedy and countless stars of stage and screen.

Edwina Ehrman is a curator of textiles and fashion at the V&A. Amy de la Haye is Rootstein Hopkins Professor of Dress History and Curatorship at London College of Fashion

'a reminder ahead of the Dior exhibition opening at the V&A next week, that Brits can do luxury fashion too.' Lisa Armstrong, The Telegraph, Saturday 26th January 2019; This is the book that I'm sure everyone with a serious interest in twentieth-century fashion history has always wanted - Noel Chapman, Luxury: History, Culture, Consumption, Vol 2, Issue 2, 2016; Brilliant - The Daily Mail, 3rd June 2016; for anyone interested in fashion history, British design, or just loves to look at vintage photographs, this is a wonderful book to have - Workshop on the Web, June 2016; an indispensable resource - Fiona Anderson, Costume: the Journal of the Costume Society, Vol 51, No. 1, March 2017