Amanda Jane Ormsby-Gore, Baroness Harlech (''née'' Grieve; May 1958), is a British creative consultant, writer and actress with a long association with the couturiers

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...

and

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

. She was named to the

International Best Dressed List The International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List was founded by fashionista Eleanor Lambert in 1940 as an attempt to boost the reputation of American fashion at the time. The American magazine '' Vanity Fair'' is currently in charge of the List ...

Hall of Fame in 1997.

Early life

Amanda Jane Grieve was born in 1958 in north London, the daughter of Alan Grieve, a solicitor and director of the Jerwood Foundation, and his first wife, Anne Dulake. She grew up in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

where one of her childhood companions was

Jasper Conran Jasper Alexander Thirlby Conran (born 12 December 1959) is a British designer. He has worked on collections of womenswear and for the home, as well as productions for the stage in ballet, opera and theatre. Early life He is the second son of ...

. She was educated at

South Hampstead High School South Hampstead High School is a private day school in Hampstead, north-west London, England, which was founded by the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST). It is for girls aged 4–18 with selective entry at ages 4+, 7+, 11+ and 16+ (Sixth Form). ...

and

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

before studying English at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

, specialising in the work of

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

Career

Harlech worked with John Galliano during his years as an independent couturier. When Galliano joined

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

in 1996, she joined Karl Lagerfeld at

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

. She also works as a consultant at

Fendi Fendi Srl () is an Culture of Italy, Italian luxury goods, luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and ...

. Harlech has collaborated on two books – ''Palazzo'' and ''Sicily'' – and has expressed the desire to write more in the future. In November 2011, Harlech appeared in Karl Lagerfeld's film ''The Tale of a Fairy'' and the Patricia Mazuy film ''Sport de Filles'' with Marina Hands,

Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...

and

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

. In December 2011, Harlech curated the Krug-sponsored "Happiness" exhibition at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, London. The exhibition, which raised funds for the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, consisted of artworks donated by celebrities. In May 2013, Harlech appeared in Karl Largerfeld's film ''Once Upon A Time'', featuring

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Knightley ( ; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters, particularly Historical drama, period dramas, she has received List of awards and no ...

. In September 2013, Harlech is seen in the Fendi film'' Invito Pericoloso .'' In February 2014, Harlech, with Dominic Jones, started a jewellery collection called Harlot & Bones. In 2015, Harlech curated the first and only retrospective of Karl Lagerfeld's fashion career at The Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany –

Bundeskunsthalle (Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany) is one of the most visited museums in Germany. Known as the ''Bundeskunsthalle'' for short, it is part of the so-called "Museum Mile" in Bonn. It holds exhibitions relating to art a ...

. She made a brief appearance in the Karl Lagerfeld-directed ''Once and Forever'', starring

Kristen Stewart Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe ...

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress whose long career has included multilingual roles in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German films. Geraldine is a daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of his eigh ...

, and Jérémie Elkaïm.

Personal life

On May 16, 1986, she married Francis Ormsby-Gore, 6th Baron Harlech, adopting the surname 'Harlech'. The couple had two children: * Jasset David Cody Ormsby-Gore, 7th Baron Harlech (b. 1 July 1986), studied at Central St Martins * The Hon. Tallulah Sylvia Ormsby-Gore (b. 16 May 1988), studied at the

New York Film Academy New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit film school and Drama school, acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles metropolitan ar ...

. Harlech and her husband were divorced on 31 August 1998. She now lives in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, with a base at the

Hôtel Ritz Paris The Ritz Paris is a hotel in central Paris, overlooking the Place Vendôme in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arrondissement. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World marketing group, the Ritz Paris is ranked among the most luxur ...

for the city's fashion shows.

Titles

* Miss Amanda Grieve (1958–1986) * ''

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealt ...

'' The Lady Harlech (1986–1998) * Amanda, Lady Harlech (1998–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harlech, Amanda 1958 births Living people British people of English descent People educated at South Hampstead High School People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Writers from the London Borough of Camden Writers from the City of Westminster British baronesses

Amanda Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, "she who must (or is fit to) be loved". Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much by ev ...

British curators Fashion influencers 21st-century English women writers