Muriel Matilda Etches (1898–18 April 1974) was a British fashion designer and couturier, and a film and theatre costume designer. She first went into business in 1934, and found "widespread fame" in the 1940s. Etches was also a theatre and film costume designer, and worked with

Sophie Fedorovitch Sophie Fedorovitch (; 3 December 1893 – 25 January 1953) was a Russian-born Scenic designer, theatrical designer who worked with ballet choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton from his first choreographed ballet in 1926 until her accidental death in ...

and

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as costume designer and set designer for stage and screen. His accolades ...

. Clothes that she created in the 1940s were the first modern fashion items to be honoured as key acquisitions by London's

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

Early life

Etches was born in

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

, Yorkshire. She was the daughter of Charles Thomas Watkins Etches (1874–1964) and Agnes Helena Etches (nee Woollen). Her father was a captain in The

King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) was a Light infantry, light infantry regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the Somers ...

during World War I.

Career

Etches started a dressmaking business in 1934, but financial problems led to it being dissolved the following year. She started a new business in the late 1930s, and had "widespread fame" in the 1940s. According to a feature in ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', "Her clothes philosophy is for undating simplicity, for an elegance which relies on cut rather than trimming and above all for comfort: this last, an unusual and very welcome viewpoint." Her clients included the actress

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, and

Valerie Hobson Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the Pro ...

. Etches was also a costume designer for theatre and film, and worked with theatre designer

, and extensively with

. According to the

(V&A), "Matilda Etches is now almost entirely forgotten except as a theatre, ballet and opera costume-maker. However, she was an extremely talented couturier, whose fashionable clothes were innovative and very carefully made."

Personal life

In 1919, Etches married the engineer Robert Bamford, who founded a company that became

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...

. They had a daughter, Patricia Bamford, who married the illustrator

Robin Jacques Robin Jacques (27 March 1920 – 18 March 1995) was a British illustrator whose work was published in more than 100 novels and children's books. He is notable for his long collaboration with Ruth Manning-Sanders, illustrating many of her colle ...

. In 1950, she married the American economist and economics advisor,

Paul Homan Paul Thomas Homan (1893–1969) was an American economist. He was a professor of economics at Cornell University from 1929 to 1947. Early life Homan was born in Indianola, Iowa. Homan earned bachelor's degrees from Willamette College, and with ...

. She spent her later life at 19 Abbey Road in Brighton.''Times'' Saturday 20 April 1974, page 24 After her death, Cecil Beaton wrote an obituary.

Legacy

Several Etches pieces are in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her 1948 evening dress of printed cotton is described as "an haute-couture interpretation of the wrapped garments traditionally worn by West African women", and a 1949 evening cape. In 1969, Etches donated selected items, and the cotton dress and evening cape were considered by senior V&A officials to be key acquisitions, the first modern fashion items to be so honoured.

Filmography as costume designer

* ''

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'' (1943), with Joseph Buto * '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' (1945) * ''

Beware of Pity ''Beware of Pity'' is a 1946 British romantic drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Lilli Palmer, Albert Lieven and Cedric Hardwicke. It is based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Stefan Zweig. A paraplegic young baroness mist ...

'' (1946) * ''

Gaiety George ''Gaiety George'' (also known as ''Showtime'') is a 1946 British historical musical film directed by George King and Leontine Sagan and starring Richard Greene, Ann Todd and Peter Graves.Harper p.179 It is set in the late Victorian music hall, wh ...

'' (1946)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etches, Matilda 1898 births 1974 deaths British fashion designers 1940s fashion British costume designers Designers from Yorkshire People from Rotherham English costume designers British women costume designers