Hartnell to Amies: Couture By Royal Appointment

The Fashion and Textile Museum celebrates the impact of royal celebrity on 20th century British fashion with a new major retrospective of London couture design by Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies and Frederick Fox.

The exhibit will run from today (November 16) to February 23 and will feature examples of British couture rarely before seen in public.

The showcase begins with the opening of Norman Hartnell’s first salon in 1923, before discussing the advent of Hardy Amies among the leading couturiers of the post-war years.

The exhibition ends with a discussion of the design house in the current fashion industry and the resurgence of British heritage brands, traditional tailoring and dressmaking and is accompanied by a display of Norman Parkinson’s photographs.
Images: Norman Hartnell in studio with models from British Vogue; Hardy Aimes with models from British Vogue. All images ©Norman Parkinson Limited / Courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive.