Sir Norman Bishop Hartnell,
KCVO (12 June 1901 – 8 June 1979) was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the
royal family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...
. Hartnell gained the
Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
* Queen ...
in 1940, and Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
in 1957.
Princess Beatrice also wore a dress designed for Queen Elizabeth by Hartnell for her wedding in 2020.
Early life and career
Hartnell was born in Streatham, southwest London.
His parents were then publicans
and owners of the Crown & Sceptre, at the top of Streatham Hill. Educated at
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.
History
A committee of Nonconformis ...
, Hartnell became an undergraduate at
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Ma ...
and read Modern Languages.
Hartnell's main interests were in performing in, and designing for, productions at
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, and first came to fashion after designing for the university's
Footlights performances whilst an undergraduate,
a production which transferred to
Daly's Theatre, London. He then worked unsuccessfully for two London designers, including
Lucile, whom he sued for damages when several of his drawings appeared unattributed in her weekly fashion column in the London ''
Daily Sketch
The ''Daily Sketch'' was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton.
It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers, but in 1925 Rothermere sold it to William and Gomer Berr ...
''.
In 1923, Hartnell opened his own business at 10
Bruton Street,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...
, with the financial help of his father and first business colleague, his sister Phyllis.
The ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
'' actor
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Brig ...
was his second cousin.
1923–1934
Thanks to his Cambridge connections, Hartnell acquired a clientele of
débutantes and their mothers, who desired fashionable and original designs for a busy social life centred on the
London Season. Hartnell was considered by some to be a good London alternative to Parisian or older London dress houses, and the London press seized on the novelty of his youth and gender.
Although expressing the spirit of the
Bright Young Things
__NOTOC__
The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of Bohemianism, Bohemian young Aristocracy (class), aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. They threw flamboyant costume party, f ...
and
Flappers, his designs overlaid the harder silhouettes with a fluid romanticism in detail and construction. This was most evident in Hartnell's predilection for evening and bridal gowns, gowns for
court presentations, and afternoon gowns for guests at society weddings. Hartnell's success ensured international press coverage and a flourishing trade with those no longer content with 'safe' London clothes derived from Parisian designs. Hartnell became popular with the younger stars of stage and screen, and went on to dress such leading ladies as
Gladys Cooper
Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, (18 December 1888 – 17 November 1971) was an English actress, theatrical manager and producer, whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television.
Beginning as a teenager in Edwardian mus ...
,
Elsie Randolph,
Gertrude Lawrence (also a client of
Edward Molyneux),
Jessie Matthews
Jessie Margaret Matthews (11 March 1907 – 19 August 1981) was an English actress, dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period.
After a string of hit stage musicals and films in the mid-1930s, Ma ...
,
Merle Oberon,
Evelyn Laye and
Anna Neagle; even top French stars
Alice Delysia
Alice Henriette Lapize (3 March 1889 – 10 February 1979), better known by her stage name, Alice Delysia and sometimes Elise Delisia, was a French actress and singer who made her career in English musical theatre. After performing in the cho ...
and
Mistinguett were said to be impressed by Hartnell's designs.
Alarmed by a lack of sales, Phyllis insisted that Norman cease his pre-occupation eveningwear and instead focus on creating practical day clothes. Hartnell utilised British woollen fabrics to subtle and ingenious effect; though previously sidelined by London dressmaking, the use of wool fabrics in ladies' day clothing had already successfully demonstrated in Paris by
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...
, who showed a keen interest in his 1927 and 1929 collections.
Hartnell successfully emulated his British predecessor and hero
Charles Frederick Worth
Charles Frederick Worth (13 October 1825 – 10 March 1895) was an English fashion designer who founded the House of Worth, one of the foremost fashion houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is considered by many fashion historians to ...
by taking his designs to the heart of world fashion. Hartnell specialised in expensive and often lavish embroidery as an integral part of his most expensive clothes, which he also utilised to prevent exact ready-to-wear copies being made of his clothing. The Hartnell in-house embroidery workroom was the largest in London couture, and continued until his death in 1979, also producing the embroidered Christmas cards for clients and press during quiet August days, a practical form of publicity at which Hartnell was adept. The originality and intricacy of Hartnell embroideries were frequently described in the press, especially in reports of the original wedding dresses he designed for socially prominent young women during the 1920s and 1930s.
1934–1940
By 1934, Hartnell's success had outgrown his premises, and he moved over the road to a large Mayfair town house already provided with floors of work-rooms at the rear to Bruton Mews. The first-floor salon was the height of modernity, a glass and mirror-lined ''
Art Moderne'' space designed by the innovative young architect
Gerald Lacoste (1909–1983), and proved the perfect background for each new season of Hartnell designs. The interiors of the large late 18th-century town house are now preserved as one of the finest examples of art-moderne pre-war commercial design in the UK.
At the same time Hartnell moved into the new building, he acquired a weekend retreat, Lovel Dene, a Queen Anne cottage in
Windsor Forest,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...
. The cottage was extensively re-modelled for him by Lacoste. Hartnell's London residence, The Tower House, Park Village in West
Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...
, was also remodelled and furnished with a fashionable mixture of Regency and modern furniture.
In 1935, Hartnell received the first of what was to be numerous commissions from the
British Royal Family, in designing the wedding dress and bridesmaid's dresses for the
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
of
Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott to
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. The two bridesmaids were
Princess Elizabeth and
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...
. Both
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
and
Queen Mary approved the designs, the latter also becoming a client. The
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore t ...
, then a client of
Elizabeth Handley-Seymour, who had made her wedding dress in 1923, accompanied her daughters to the Hartnell salon to view the fittings and met the designer for the first time.
Although Hartnell's designs for the Duchess of Gloucester's wedding and her trousseau achieved worldwide publicity, the death of the bride's father and consequent period of mourning before the wedding led to what had been planned as a large state wedding, taking place at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
, instead being held privately in the chapel of
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
. Hartnell regretted that his work on the designs for the occasion had been denied worldwide publicity; however, vast crowds did see the newest member of the royal family drive off from Buckingham Palace wearing a Hartnell ensemble for her honeymoon, and the seal of royal approval led to increased business for Hartnell.
For the 1937
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May ...
, the Queen ordered the
maid of honour dresses from Hartnell, remaining loyal to Handley-Seymour for her Coronation gown. Until 1939, Hartnell received most of the Queen's orders, and after 1946, with the exception of some country clothes, she remained a Hartnell client, even after his death. Hartnell's ability in adapting current fashion to a personal royal style began with designs with a slimmed-down fit for day and evening wear. The new Queen was short, and her new clothes gave her height and distinction; public day-clothes usually consisted of a long or three-quarter length coat over a slim skirt, often embellished with fur trimmings or some detail around the neck. His designs for the Queen's evening wear varied from unembellished slim dresses to evening wear embroidered with sequins and glass. There was a complete change of style apparent in designs for the grander evening occasions, when Hartnell re-introduced the
crinoline
A crinoline is a stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a woman's skirt, popular at various times since the mid-19th century. Originally, crinoline described a stiff fabric made of horsehair ("crin") and cotton or linen which w ...
to world fashion, after the King showed Hartnell the
Winterhalter portraits in the
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world.
Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...
. King George suggested that the style favoured earlier by Queen Victoria would enhance the Queen's presence.
Wallis Simpson
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a ...
, subsequently the Duchess of Windsor following her marriage to
Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...
, was also a London Hartnell client, later patronizing
Mainbocher
Mainbocher is a fashion label founded by the American couturier Main Rousseau Bocher (October 24, 1890 – December 27, 1976), also known as Mainbocher (pronounced "Maine-Bow-Shay"). Established in 1929, the house of Mainbocher successfully ope ...
, who made
her wedding dress. Bocher was a friend of Hartnell's with whom the latter credited with sound early advice, when he showed his 1929 summer collection in Paris. Then a ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' editor, Bocher told Hartnell that he had seldom seen so many wonderful dresses so badly made. Hartnell took his advice and employed the talented Parisian 'Mamselle' Davide, reputedly the highest paid member of any London couture house, and other talented cutters, fitters and tailors to execute his designs to the highest international couture standards by the 1930s. In 1929, Hartnell showed his clothes to the international press in Paris, and the floor-length hems of his evening dresses, after a decade of rising hems, were hailed as the advent of a new fashion, copied throughout the world as evidenced by the press of the time. His clothes were so popular with the press that he opened a House in Paris in order to participate in Parisian Collection showings.
Within a decade, Hartnell again effectively changed the fashionable evening dress silhouette, when more of the crinoline dresses worn by the Queen during the
State Visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
to Paris in July 1938 also created a worldwide sensation viewed in the press and on news-reels. The death of the Queen's mother,
Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, before the visit resulted in court mourning and a short delay in the dates of the visit to a vital British ally, of enormous political significance at a time when Germany was threatening war in Europe. Royal mourning dictated black and shades of mauve, which meant that all the clothes utilising colour for the planned June visit had to be re-made; Hartnell's workrooms worked long hours to create a new wardrobe in white, which Hartnell remembered had a precedent in British royal mourning protocol, and was not unknown for a younger Queen.
Hartnell was decorated by the French government and his friend
Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses ...
, creator of the full-skirted post-war
New Look; Dior himself was not immune to the influence and romance of Hartnell's new designs, publicly stating that whenever he thought of beautiful clothes, it was of those created by Hartnell for the 1938 State Visit, which he viewed as a young aspirant in the fashion world. The crinoline fashion for evening wear influenced fashion internationally, and French designers were quick to take up the influence of the Scottish-born Queen and the many kilted Scots soldiers in Paris for the State Visit; day clothes featuring plaids or tartans were evident in the next season's collections of many Parisian designers.
The Queen commanded another extensive wardrobe by Hartnell for the
Royal Tour of Canada and visit to North America during May and June 1939. At a critical time in world history, the visit cemented North American ties of friendship in the months before the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in September 1939. The King and Queen were received with enormous acclaim by great crowds throughout the tour and visit and the dignity and charm of the Queen were undoubtedly aided by her Hartnell wardrobe;
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...
termed Queen Elizabeth "the most dangerous woman in Europe" on viewing film footage of the successful tour.
By 1939, largely due to Hartnell's success, London was known as an innovative fashion centre and was often visited first by American buyers before they travelled on to Paris. Hartnell had already had substantial American sales to various shops and copyists, a lucrative source of income to all designers. Some French designers, such as Anglo-Irish
Edward Molyneux and
Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli ( , also , ; 10 September 1890 – 13 November 1973) was a fashion designer from an Italian nobility, Italian aristocratic background.
She created the Schiaparelli (fashion house), house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, w ...
, opened London houses, which had a glittering social life centred around the Court. Young British designers opened their own Houses, such as
Victor Stiebel
Victor Frank Stiebel (14 March 1907—6 February 1976) was a South African-born British couturier. A founder member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, he was among the top ten designers in Britain during the war and post-war ...
and
Digby Morton
Henry Digby Morton (1906–1983) was an Irish fashion designer and among the leading names of British couture in the period from 1930-50. He was also among the pioneers of ready-to-wear fashions in the 1950s. Successful on both sides of the Atla ...
, formerly at
Lachasse
Lachasse was a British couture firm operating from 1928 until 2006, making it one of the longest surviving high fashion houses in London.
Part of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (IncSoc), it is notable for being a major train ...
where Hardy Amies was the designer after 1935.
Peter Russell also opened his own House, and all attracted younger women. Older more staid generations still patronised the older London Houses of
Handley-Seymour, Reville and the British-owned London concessions of the
House of Worth and
Paquin. Before Hartnell established himself, the only British designer with a worldwide reputation for originality in design and finish was
Lucile, whose London house closed in 1924.
The younger members of the British Royal Family attracted worldwide publicity, drawing attention to Hartnell by association. Whilst it was a triumph for Hartnell to have gained
Queen Mary as a client, the four young wives of her four sons created fashion news.
Princess Marina, was a notable figure and a patron of
Edward Molyneux in Paris. He designed her 1934 wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses for her marriage to Queen Mary's fourth son
Prince George, Duke of Kent and when Molyneux opened his London salon, also designed by Lacoste, she became a steady client of his until he closed the business in 1950. Thereafter, she was often a Hartnell client. Hartnell would go on to receive a
Royal Warrant in 1940 as Dressmaker to the Queen.
1940–1952
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
(1939–45) Hartnell - in common with other couture designers - was subject to government trading and
rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
restrictions, part of the
utility
As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosophe ...
scheme; apart from specific rules on the amount of fabric allowed per garment, the number of buttons, fastenings and the amount and components of embroideries were all calculated and controlled. Hartnell joined the
Home Guard and sustained his career by sponsoring collections for sale to overseas buyers, competing with the Occupied French and German designers, but also a growing group of American designers. Private clients ordered new clothes within the restrictions or had existing clothes altered. This also applied to the Queen, who appeared in her own often re-worked clothes in bombed areas around the country. Hartnell received her endorsement to design clothes for the government's Utility campaign, mass-produced by Berketex, with whom he entered a business relationship that continued into the 1950s. Through this partnership, he became the first leading mid-20th century designers to design mass-produced ready-to-wear clothing. In 1916, Lucile had shown the way during the First World War by designing an extensive line of clothes for the American catalogue retailers
Sears, Roebuck
Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began ...
.
Hartnell was among the founders of the
Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers
The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (also known as IncSoc, Inc Soc and ISFLD) was a membership organisation founded in 1942 to promote the British fashion and textile industry and create luxury couture to sell abroad for the war ...
, also known as IncSoc, established in 1942 to promote British fashion design at home and abroad. Hartnell was also commissioned to design women's uniforms for the British army and medical corps during the war. He would go on to design service uniforms for nurses and female officers in
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, o ...
and the
Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
.
In 1946 Hartnell took a successful collection to South America, where his clients included
Eva Peron and
Magda Lupescu. In 1947, he received the
Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for his influence on world fashion and in the same year created an extensive wardrobe for Queen Elizabeth to wear during the Royal Tour of South Africa in 1947, the first Royal Tour abroad since 1939. Both slimline and
crinoline
A crinoline is a stiff or structured petticoat designed to hold out a woman's skirt, popular at various times since the mid-19th century. Originally, crinoline described a stiff fabric made of horsehair ("crin") and cotton or linen which w ...
styles were included. In addition, Hartnell designed for the young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret; Molyneux also designed some day clothes for the Princesses during this trip.
Although worried that he was too old for the job at 46, Hartnell was commanded by the Queen to create the
wedding dress of Princess Elizabeth in 1947 for her marriage to
Prince Philip (later the
Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not prod ...
). With a fashionable sweetheart neckline and a full skirt, the dress was embroidered with some 10,000 seed-pearls and thousands of white beads. Hartnell also created the going-away outfit and her trousseau, becoming her main designer to be augmented by Hardy Amies in the early 1950s and appealing to whole new generation of clients.
1952–1979
Following the early death of
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...
in 1952, Hartnell was asked by Queen Elizabeth II to design her
1953 Coronation dress. Many versions were sketched by Hartnell and his new assistant
Ian Thomas. These were then discussed with the Queen. At her request, the final design had the similar sweetheart neckline used for the Queen's wedding dress in 1947, with a fuller, heavy silk skirt embellished with varied embroideries, including the depiction of the national botanical emblems of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries, echoing earlier Coronation dresses. The complicated construction of the supporting undergarments and frustrating hours of work involved were described by Hartnell in his autobiography; the weight of the dress made it difficult to achieve a perfect balance and lend a gentle, forward swaying motion, rather than the lurching, listing motion of the prototypes. The development of the prototypes was the work of his expert cutters and fitters, as Hartnell could not sew, although he understood construction and the handling of various fabrics.
In addition, Hartnell designed the accompanying dresses worn by the Queen's
Maids of Honour
A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts.
Role
Traditionally, a queen ...
and those of all major Royal ladies in attendance, creating the necessary theatrical tableaux in Westminster Abbey. He also designed dresses for many other clients who attended the ceremony, and his summer 1953 collection of some 150 designs was named "The Silver and Gold Collection", subsequently used as the title for his autobiography, illustrated largely by his assistant Ian Thomas. Thomas subsequently opened his own establishment in 1968 and together with
Hardy Amies created many designs included in the wardrobes of the Queen. The Queen undertook an increasingly large number of State visits and Royal tours abroad, as well as numerous events at home, all necessitating a volume of clothing too large for just one House to devote its time to. During 1953–54, the Queen made an extensive Royal tour of most of the countries forming the British Commonwealth. The Coronation dress was worn for the opening of Parliament in several countries, and her varied wardrobe gained press and newsreel headlines internationally, not least for the cotton dresses worn and copied worldwide, many ordered from a specialist wholesale company, Horrockses. Hartnell designs were augmented by a number of gowns from Hardy Amies, her secondary designer from 1951 onwards. Most of the ladies of the Royal family used Hartnell, as well as other London designers, to create their clothes for use at home and abroad.
Hartnell's design for the wedding dress of
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...
in 1960 marked the last full State occasion for which he designed an impressive tableau of dresses. It also marked the swan-song of lavish British couture. The Princess wore a multi-layered white
princess line dress, totally unadorned, utilising many layers of fine silk, and requiring as much skill as the complexities of the Queen's Coronation dress, which it echoed in outline. The Queen wore a long blue lace day dress with a bolero, echoing the design with a slight bolero jacket and a hat adorned with a single rose, reminiscent of the Princess's full name, Margaret Rose.
Victor Stiebel
Victor Frank Stiebel (14 March 1907—6 February 1976) was a South African-born British couturier. A founder member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, he was among the top ten designers in Britain during the war and post-war ...
made the going-away outfit for the Princess and the whole wedding and departure of the couple from the Pool of London on HMY
Britannia
Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Grea ...
received worldwide newspaper and television publicity.
Fashion rapidly changed in the 1960s, and by the time of the Investiture of the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
in 1969, Hartnell's clothes for the Queen and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother were short, simple designs, reflecting their own personal style. His royal clothes created an impeccably neat look that managed to be stylish without making an overt fashion statement. Hartnell became increasingly pre-occupied with royal orders. In this he was helped by Thomas, who left to found his own establishment in 1966, and the Japanese designer
Gun'yuki Torimaru, who similarly left to create his own highly successful business.
In 1968, Hartnell was involved with the redesign of female police uniforms for the Metropolitan Police.
In 1970,
Madame Somoza, first lady of
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...
and client, issued a postage stamp dedicated to Hartnell.
In the mid-1950s, Hartnell reached the peak of his fame and the business employed some 500 people together with many others in the ancillary businesses. In common with all couture houses of the era, rising costs and changing tastes in women's clothing were a portent of the difficult times ahead. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the name of Norman Hartnell was continually found in the press. Apart from designing two collections a year and maintaining his theatrical and film star links, he was adept at publicity, whether it was in creating a full evening dress of pound notes for a news-paper stunt, touring fashion shows at home and abroad or using the latest fabrics and man-made materials. Memorable evening dresses were worn by the concert pianist
Eileen Joyce and TV cookery star
Fanny Cradock
Phyllis Nan Sortain Pechey (26 February 1909 – 27 December 1994), better known as Fanny Cradock, was an English restaurant critic, television chef and writer. She frequently appeared on television, at cookery demonstrations and in print with h ...
and typified his high profile as an innovative designer, although in his sixth decade - then considered to be a great age. Hartnell designed and created collections on a smaller scale until 1979 with designs for the Queen and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother still commanding his time and attention. The business struggled with overheads in common with all couture businesses and various merchandising ventures had some success in helping to bolster the finances. The sale of 'In Love' scent and then other scents was re-introduced in 1954, followed by stockings, knitwear, costume jewellery and late in the 1960s, menswear. However, it was not enough to turn the tide of high-street youthful fashion and he even had to sell his country retreat Lovel Dene to finance the Bruton Street business.
At the time of the
Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, Hartnell was appointed
KCVO and on arriving at Buckingham Palace was delighted to find that the Queen had deputed Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to invest him with the honour. Prudence Glynn, the astute fashion editor then of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'' termed him "The First Fashion Knight" and his work as "The Norman Conquest". Hartnell designed and created collections on a smaller scale until 1979.
Hartnell was buried on 15 June 1979 next to his mother and sister in the graveyard of
Clayton church,
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...
. A memorial service in London was led by the then
Bishop of Southwark,
Mervyn Stockwood, a friend, and was attended by many models and employees and clients, including one of his earliest from the 1920s, his lifelong supporter
Barbara Cartland
Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, (9 July 1901 – 21 May 2000) published as Barbara Cartland was an English writer, known as the Queen of Romance, who published both contemporary and historical romance novels, the latter set primarily duri ...
, and another from a time as the Deb of the Year in 1930, Margaret Whigham. Wearing a spectacular Hartnell dress, her wedding to Charles Sweeny stopped the traffic in Knightsbridge. As
Margaret, Duchess of Argyll
Ethel Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (''née'' Whigham, formerly Sweeny; 1 December 1912 – 25 July 1993) was a Scottish heiress, socialite, and aristocrat who was most famous for her 1951 marriage and much-publicised 1963 divorce fr ...
, she remained a client.
After his death, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother remained a steadfast client, as did other older clients. In order to continue and revive the business John Tullis, a nephew of
Edward Molyneux, designed for the House until the business was sold. A consortium headed by Manny Silverman, formerly of
Moss Bros., acquired the company. Guest collections were designed by
Gina Fratini
Gina Fratini (born Georgina Caroline Eve Butler, 22 September 1931 – 25 May 2017) was a Japanese-born British fashion designer.
Early life
She was born in Kobe, Japan, the daughter of the Hon. Somerset Butler (son of Charles Ernest Alfred Fr ...
and
Murray Arbeid
Murray Arbeid (1935–2011) was a British fashion designer, known for his eveningwear. His notable clients included Princess Diana and Shirley Bassey. He once joked that if there were a Nobel Prize for creations in taffeta, he would have won it ...
and the building was completely renovated under the direction of Michael Pick who brought back to life its original Art Moderne splendours. The famous glass chimney-piece forming the focal point of Lacoste's scheme leading on from the ground floor to the first floor salon with its faceted art moderne detailed mirror cladding and pilasters was returned by the
V&A as the focal point of the grand mirrored salon. The house re-opened with an acclaimed collection designed by former
Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses ...
designer
Marc Bohan
Marc Roger Maurice Louis Bohan (born 22 August 1926) is a French fashion designer, best known for his 30-year career at the house of Dior.
Early life and career
Bohan was born in Paris and grew up in Sceaux. As a child, Marc Bohan was encoura ...
. The Gulf War and subsequent recession of the early 1990s killed the venture and the house closed its doors in 1992.
On 11 May 2005, the Norman Hartnell premises were commemorated with a
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...
at 26 Bruton Street where he spent his working life from 1934 to 1979.
The Norman Hartnell name was acquired by Li & Fung as part of an extensive London fashion portfolio which includes
Hardy Amies Ltd
Hardy Amies London (Limited) is a UK-based fashion house specializing in modern luxury menswear.
Sir Hardy Amies founded the house in 1946. He was one of the pioneers of the ready-to-wear menswear market in the 1950s and 1960s.
Amies was c ...
, acquired in 2008 by Fung Capital. Hardy Amies is now owned by No.14 Savile Row, which in turn is owned by Fung Capital, the private investment holding company of the Fung family also the controlling shareholders of publicly listed Li & Fung Limited and Trinity Limited. Various Norman Hartnell themed housewares have been produced and there are plans to further develop the brand.
Personal life
Hartnell never married, but enjoyed a discreet and quiet life at a time when homosexual relations between men were illegal. He considered himself a confirmed bachelor, and his close friends were almost never in the public eye, nor did he ever do anything to compromise his position and business as a leading designer to both ladies of the
British Royal Family and his aristocratic or 'society' clients upon whom his success was founded. He rarely socialised with any of them. The younger
Hardy Amies, fellow designer for
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, was surprised to discover how much he enjoyed his company in Paris in 1959. They were both there during the
State Visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...
to France to view their creations being worn. Hartnell had been known to term Amies 'Hardly Amiable'. In late years, long after Hartnell's death and in a more liberal climate, Amies became known for some
ad lib
In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation.
The r ...
remarks during interviews and in explaining his business success compared to Hartnell's near penury at the end, he more than once termed Hartnell a 'soppy' or 'silly old
queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
' whilst describing himself as a 'bitchy' or 'clever old queen.'
Hartnell had many women friends.
Claire Huth Jackson, later Claire de Loriol, appointed the designer as guardian to her son, Peter-Gabriel. His dresses were also worn by another
Streatham
Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
Streatham was in Surrey ...
resident of the past, ex-
Tiller Girl Renee Probert-Price. A Hartnell evening ensemble features in the collection of vintage dresses inherited by Probert-Price's great-niece following her death in 2013.
Filmography
Norman Hartnell designed costumes for the following films
(incomplete list):
*''
Such Is the Law
''Such Is the Law'' is a 1930 British drama film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Frances Day, C. Aubrey Smith and Kate Cutler. It was made at Cricklewood Studios.Wood p.70
Premise
A mother attempts to save her daughter's marriage.
C ...
'' (1930)
*''
Aunt Sally'' (1933)
*''
A Southern Maid
''A Southern Maid'' is an operetta in three acts composed by Harold Fraser-Simson, with a book by Dion Clayton Calthrop and Harry Graham and lyrics by Harry Graham and Harry Miller. Additional music was provided by Ivor Novello and George H. ...
'' (1933)
*''
That's a Good Girl
''That's a Good Girl'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Jack Buchanan and starring Buchanan, Elsie Randolph and Dorothy Hyson. The film was based on a musical show of the same title that opened at the Lewisham Hippodrome on 19 March 192 ...
'' (1933)
*''
Give Her a Ring'' (1934)
*''
Princess Charming'' (1934)
*''
The Church Mouse
''The Church Mouse'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Laura La Plante, Ian Hunter and Edward Chapman. It was made by the British subsidiary of Warner Brothers at the company's Teddington Studios. It was made ...
'' (1934)
*''
The Return of Bulldog Drummond
''The Return of Bulldog Drummond'' is a 1934 British thriller film directed by Walter Summers and starring Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd and Claud Allister. It was based on the 1922 novel ''The Black Gang'' by H.C. McNeile and the fourth film i ...
'' (1934)
*''
Brewster's Millions
''Brewster's Millions'' is a comedic novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves.
The plot concerns a young man whose grandfather leaves him $1 million in a will, but a competing will from a ...
'' (1935)
*''
Two's Company'' (1936)
*''
Jump for Glory
''Jump for Glory'' is a 1937 British romantic drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Valerie Hobson and Alan Hale. It was based on a novel by Gordon McDonnell. The film was shot at Isleworth Studios by the ind ...
'' (1937)
*''
Non-Stop New York'' (1937)
*''
Climbing High'' (1938)
*''
Sailing Along'' (1938)
*''Design for Spring'' (1938)
*''Making Fashion'' (1938)
*''
He Found a Star
''He Found a Star'' is a 1941 British musical film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Vic Oliver, Sarah Churchill and Evelyn Dall. It concerns a frustrated stage manager who quits his job and, with his secretary's help, sets up a th ...
'' (1941) (dresses for
Sarah Churchill and
Evelyn Dall
Evelyn Dall (born Evelyn Mildred Fuss; January 8, 1918 – March 10, 2010) was an American singer and actress.
Career
Born in The Bronx, New York City as Evelyn Mildred Fuss, she took her stage name from the surname of two grandchildren of P ...
)
*''
Ships with Wings'' (1942)
*''
The Peterville Diamond
''The Peterville Diamond'' is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Anne Crawford, Donald Stewart and Renee Houston. It is also known by the alternative title ''Jewel Robbery''. - from the 1931 play of the same titl ...
'' (1942)
*''
This Was Paris
''This Was Paris'' is a 1942 British Second World War spy film directed by John Harlow and starring Ann Dvorak, Ben Lyon and Griffith Jones.
It was shot at Teddington Studios.
Plot
British Captain Bill Hamilton meets and is attracted to Ame ...
'' (1942)
*''
The Demi-Paradise
''The Demi-Paradise'' (also known as ''Adventure for Two'') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, a ...
'' (1943)
*''
Maytime in Mayfair
''Maytime in Mayfair'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Nicholas Phipps, and Tom Walls. It was a follow up to ''Spring in Park Lane''.
The film was one of the most popula ...
'' (1949)
*''
The Passionate Stranger
''The Passionate Stranger'' (U.S. ''A Novel Affair'') is a 1957 British drama film, directed by Muriel Box and starring Margaret Leighton and Ralph Richardson. It uses the film within a film device, with the "real" part of the plot shot in bl ...
'' (1957) (gowns for
Margaret Leighton)
*''Women in Love'' (1958) (TV)
*''
Suddenly, Last Summer
''Suddenly Last Summer'' is a one-act play by Tennessee Williams, written in New York in 1957. It opened off Broadway on January 7, 1958, as part of a double bill with another of Williams' one-acts, '' Something Unspoken'' (written in London i ...
'' (1959) (costumes for
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
)
*''
Never Put It in Writing'' (1964)
*''
The Beauty Jungle
''The Beauty Jungle'' (also known as Contest Girl) is a 1964 British film directed by Val Guest.
Plot
Shirley lives in Bristol. While on a seaside holiday at Butlins holiday camp a young typist Shirley Freeman (Janette Scott) is persuaded by ...
'' (1964)
*''A Double in Diamonds'' (1967) (TV episode: ''
The Saint'')
Theatre designs
Norman Hartnell first designed for the stage as a schoolboy before the First World War and went on to design for at least twenty-four varied stage productions, after his initial London success with a Footlights Revue, which brought him his first glowing press reviews.
Cultural depictions
He is featured as a character in the first two seasons of the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
drama
''The Crown'', portrayed by Richard Clifford.
Honours
* He was made an Officer of the
Ordre des Palmes académiques
A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes w ...
in 1939 by the
French Republic
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
* He was made a Member 4th Class of the
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(MVO) in the
1953 Coronation Honours List.
* He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...
as a Knight Commander of the
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(KCVO) in the
1977 New Years Honours List.
* He received the
Defence Medal for service in the
Home Guard during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
* He received the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the
Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal
The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service.
History
The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establish ...
for 20 years service to the
British Royal Family.
References
Further reading
*''BE DAZZLED! Norman Hartnell : Sixty Years of Glamour and Fashion''. Michael Pick. Pointed Leaf Press. 2007.
*''Silver and Gold''. Norman Hartnell. Evans Brothers. 1955.
*''Royal Courts of Fashion''. Norman Hartnell. Cassell. 1971.
*''Norman Hartnell 1901-1979''. Frances Kennett et al. Brighton Art Gallery and Bath Museum of Costume. 1985.
*''Gerald Lacoste.'' Michael Pick. ''The Journal of the
Thirties Society''. No.3. 1982.
*''The Royal Tour: A Souvenir Album.'' Caroline de Guitaut. The Royal Collection. 2009.
*"Hardy Amies". Michael Pick. ACC Publications. 2012.
External links
Norman Hartnell: master of the royal wardrobe by Linda Grant, 30 September 2007. – Fashion.Telegraph.co.uk
*
*
*
– ''Fashion Encyclopedia.''
– Information and images of Queen Elizabeth II's 1947 wedding dress
*
*
* – Film report of fashion show featuring Hartnell designs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartnell, Norman
1901 births
1979 deaths
People educated at Mill Hill School
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
English fashion designers
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Officiers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
Artists from London
Wedding dress designers
People from Streatham
British Home Guard soldiers
20th-century English businesspeople