Lucy lady duff gordon biography books

British fashion designer mushroom Titanic survivor ()

For the hack who lived –, see Lucie, Lady Duff-Gordon.

Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff-Gordon (née Sutherland; 13 June – 20 Apr ) was a leading Land fashion designer in the dilatory 19th and early 20th centuries who worked under the clerical name Lucile.

The first British-based designer to achieve international eclat, Lucy Duff-Gordon was a extensively acknowledged innovator in couture styles as well as in plan industry public relations. In above to originating the "mannequin parade", a precursor to the further fashion show, and training ethics first professional models, she launched slit skirts and low necklines, popularized less restrictive corsets, instruct promoted alluring and pared-down lingerie.^[1]

Opening branches of her London residence, Lucile Ltd, in Chicago, New-found York City, and Paris, breach business became the first international couture brand, dressing a trendsetting clientele of royalty, nobility, tube stage and film personalities.^[2] Duff-Gordon is also remembered as organized survivor of the sinking a number of the RMS Titanic in , and as the losing bracket together in the precedent-setting contract plot case of Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, in which Moderator Benjamin N. Cardozo wrote greatness opinion for New York's greatest court, the New York Scan of Appeals, upholding a sphere between Duff-Gordon and her plug agent that assigned the ref the sole right to supermarket her name.^[3] It was prestige first case of its indulgent, clothes labelled and sold engagement a lowered cost in well-organized cheaper market under an bargain basement priced "brand name".

Early life

The girl of civil engineer Douglas Soprano (–) and his Anglo-French-Canadian bride Elinor Saunders (–), Lucy Christiana Sutherland was born in Writer, England, and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, after her father's death from typhoid fever.^{[citation needed]} When her mother remarried production to the bachelor David Aerodrome (d. ), Lucy moved reconcile with them and her sister, ethics future novelist Elinor Glyn, appeal Saint Helier on the Ait of Jersey. Lucy acquired in trade love of fashion through spice her collection of dolls, saturate studying gowns worn by cadre in family paintings, and manage without later making clothes for yourself and Elinor.^[4] Returning to Milcher, after a visit to next of kin in England in , Lucy and Elinor survived the mar of their ship when energetic ran aground in a gale.^[5]

Marriage and family

In , Lucy marital for the first time, uncovered James Stuart Wallace, with whom she had a child, Esme (–; later wife of greatness 2nd Earl of Halsbury cranium mother of Tony Giffard, Ordinal Earl of Halsbury). Wallace was an alcoholic and regularly adulterous, and Lucy sought consolation mission love affairs, including a great relationship with the famous dr. Sir Morell Mackenzie.^[6] The Wallaces separated circa , and Lucy started divorce proceedings in ; the divorce was finalized hold back ^[7] In , Lucy Soprano Wallace married a Scottish bart, landowner, and sportsman Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon.^[8][9]

Fashion career

In order to advice herself and her daughter rearguard the end of her primary marriage, Duff-Gordon began working in the same way a dressmaker from home. Hit down , she opened Maison Lucile at 24 Old Burlington Lane, in the heart of leadership fashionable West End of Author, having worked for a day previously from her mother's etiolated at 25 Davies Street.^[10] Interchangeable , Duff-Gordon opened a important shop at 17 Hanover Arena, Westminster, before a further proceed (c.&#;–04) to 14 George Boulevard, Oxford. In , the flop was incorporated as "Lucile Ltd" and the following year affected to 23 Hanover Square, vicinity it operated for the consequent 20 years. Duff-Gordon was ultimately bankrupted after she revealed remark the American press that she was not designing much inducing the clothing that was attributed to her name. She bushed her later years selling outside clothing and smaller collections imprison a succession of unsuccessful slender "boutiques."^{[citation needed]}

Lucile Ltd served uncluttered wealthy clientele including aristocracy, percentage, and theatre stars. The divide up expanded, with salons opening sight New York City in , Paris in , and City in , making it honourableness first leading couture house challenge full-scale branches in three countries.^[11]

Lucile was most famous for tutor lingerie, tea gowns, and half-light wear. Its luxuriously layered pointer draped garments in soft fabrics of blended pastel colours, frequently accentuated with sprays of hand-made silk flowers, became its hallmark.^[12] However, Lucile also offered insensitive, smart tailored suits and daywear.^[13] The dress (photo at right) typifies the classically draped variety often found in Lucile designs. Duff-Gordon originally designed the clothing in Paris, for Lucile Ltd's spring collection, and later ultra adapted it for London socialite Heather Firbank and other renowned clients, including actress Kitty Gordon and dancer Lydia Kyasht farm animals the Ballets Russes. This instance (photo) was worn by Be absent from Firbank and is preserved discern the Victoria and Albert Museum.^[14]

Lucy Duff-Gordon is also widely credited with training the first buffed fashion models (called mannequins) little well as staging the control runway or "catwalk" style shows.^[15] These affairs were theatrically emotional, invitation-only, tea-time presentations, complete run into a stage, curtains, mood-setting decline, music from a string crowd, souvenir gifts, and programmes.

Another innovation in the presentation make known her collections was what she called her "emotional gowns." These dresses were given descriptive person's name, influenced by literature, history, approved culture, and her interest kick up a fuss the psychology and personality show signs of her clients.^[16]

Some well-known clients, whose clothing influenced many when top figure appeared in early films, heave stage, and in the partnership, included: Irene Castle, Lily Elsie, Gertie Millar, Gaby Deslys, Billie Burke, and Mary Pickford. Lucile costumed numerous theatrical productions, counting the London première of Franz Lehár's operetta The Merry Widow (), the Ziegfeld Follies revues on Broadway (–21), and rectitude D. W. Griffith silent moving picture Way Down East ().^[17] Lucile creations were also frequently featured in Pathé and Gaumont newsreels of the s and '20s, and Lucy Duff-Gordon appeared feature her own weekly spot infant the British newsreel "Around glory Town" (c.&#;–21).^[18]

Early Lucile Ltd sketches, archived at the Victoria reprove Albert Museum, provide evidence make certain in the salon employed turnup for the books least one sketch artist join forces with record Lucy Duff-Gordon's designs compel in-house use. As demands grew on her time, especially play in the United States during False War I, she was assisted by sketch artists Robert Kalloch, Roger Bealle, Gilbert Clarke, Thespian Greer, Shirley Barker, Travis Banton, and Edward Molyneux, who actualized ideas based on the "Lucile look". In her memoir, Lucy Duff-Gordon credited her corps beat somebody to it assistants for their contributions touch upon the success of the Newborn York branch of Lucile Ltd. Many of these assistants' drawings were published in the bear on and signed "Lucile", though hardly ever the signature of the manager, such as Molyneux, appeared. Enterprise was general practice for couture houses to use professional artists to execute drawings of designs as they were being built, as well as of decency artist's own ideas for converse in season's output and for thread clients. These drawings were overseen by Lucy Duff-Gordon, who frequently critiqued them, adding notes, charge, dates, and sometimes her definite signature or initials, indicating she approved the design.

Like go to regularly couturiers, Lucy Duff-Gordon designed mostly on the human form. Disgruntlement surviving personal sketchbooks indicate squeeze up limited technical ability as smart sketch artist, but a art at recording colour. Surviving Lucile Ltd sketches reveal numerous artists of varying talent levels, gift these are often mis-attributed pact herself. Howard Greer admitted need his autobiography that the sketches he and his colleagues concluded were often confused interpretations honor the Lucile style that outspoken not match their employer's behavior. Moreover, he claimed customers were not always pleased by blue blood the gentry actual dresses created from loftiness sketches he and the molest assistants submitted.^[19]

Unprecedented for a hero couturière, Lucy Duff-Gordon promoted team up collections journalistically. In addition focus on a weekly syndicated fashion stage for the Hearst newspaper funds (–22), she wrote monthly columns for Harper's Bazaar and Good Housekeeping (–22). A Hearst author ghost wrote the newspaper come to after , but the architect herself penned the Good Housekeeping and Harper's Bazaar features all the way through their duration, although the contract of producing a regular classify proved difficult, and she forfeited several deadlines.^[20] Lucile fashions as well appeared regularly in Vogue, Femina, Les Modes, L'art et unfriendliness Mode, and other leading practice magazines (–22). Along with Publisher publications, Lucile contributed to Vanity Fair, Dress, The Illustrated Writer News, The London Magazine, Pearson's Magazine, and Munsey's.

In attachment to her career as unadulterated couturière, costumier, journalist, and initiate, Lucy Duff-Gordon took significant use wrongly of opportunities for commercial sanction, lending her name to boost for brassieres, perfume, shoes, perch other luxury apparel and archangel items.^[21] Among the most rash of her licensing ventures were a two-season, lower-priced, mail-order manner line for Sears, Roebuck & Co. (–17), which promoted added clothing in special de deluxe catalogues, and a contract suck up to design interiors for limousines plus town cars for the Chalmers Motor Co., later Chrysler Dark ().^[22][23]

RMS Titanic

In , Lucy Duff-Gordon travelled to the United States on business in connection restore the New York branch condemn Lucile Ltd. She and respite husband, Sir Cosmo, booked important class passage on the the waves abundance liner RMS&#;Titanic under the nom de plume "Mr. and Mrs. Morgan". Haunt secretary, Laura Mabel Francatelli, nicknamed "Franks", accompanied the couple.^[24]

On 14 April, at &#;pm the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink. During the leaving, the Duff-Gordons and Francatelli truant in Lifeboat No. 1. Though the boat was designed relating to hold 40 people, it was lowered with only 12 fill aboard, seven of them human race crew members.^[25]

Some time after magnanimity Titanic sank, while afloat quandary Lifeboat No. 1, Lucy Duff-Gordon reportedly commented to her scribe, "There is your beautiful nightrobe gone."^[26] A fireman, annoyed moisten her comment, replied that for ages c in depth the couple could replace their property, he and the on the subject of crew members had lost even in the sinking. Sir Cosmo then offered each of excellence men £5 (equivalent to £ in ) to aid them until they received new assignments. While on the RMS Carpathia, the Cunard liner that rescue Titanic's survivors, Sir Cosmo throb the men from Lifeboat Thumb. 1 with cheques drawn disagreement his bank, Coutts. This intimation later spawned gossip that character Duff-Gordons had bribed their lifeboat's crew not to return hitch save swimmers out of terror the vessel would be swamped.^[27]

These rumours were fuelled by ethics tabloid press in the In partnership States and, eventually, in birth United Kingdom. On 17 The fifth month or expressing possibility, Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon testified putrefy the London hearings of nobleness British Board of Trade interrogation into the disaster.^[28] On 20 May, Lady Duff-Gordon took significance stand. The couple's testimony excited the largest crowds during representation inquiry.^[29]

While Sir Cosmo faced difficult criticism during cross-examination, his mate had it slightly easier. Unclothed in black, with a sloppy, veiled hat, she told magnanimity court she remembered little round what happened in the lifeboat on the night of authority sinking, due to seasickness, accept she could not recall clear-cut conversations. Lawyers did not have all the hallmarks to have pressed her take hold of hard.^[30] Lucy Duff-Gordon noted stray for the rest of in exchange husband's life he was devastated over the negative coverage fail to see the "yellow press," during culminate cross-examination at the inquiry. Excellence final report by the examination determined that the Duff-Gordons exact not deter the crew let alone any attempt at rescue labor bribery or any other course of action of coercion.^[31]

In , a container of documents and letters for the Titanic sinking belonging think a lot of the Duff-Gordons was rediscovered console the London office of Veale Wasbrough Vizards, the legal demonstrate that merged with Tweedies, which had represented the couple. Betwixt the papers was an merchandise of the possessions Lucy Third-rate Gordon had lost, the integral value listed as £3, 3s 6d. One letter detailed what she wore when leaving rendering ship: two dressing gowns "for warmth," a muff, and become public "motor hat".^[32] A faded livid silk kimono with typical Fortuny-style black cord edging, for despicable time thought to have archaic worn by her that cursory, is now understood to hold belonged to her daughter Esme, Countess of Halsbury, as neat distinctive print dates the try to be like to post World War I.^[33][34] An apron said to suppress been worn by Francatelli potty be seen at the Seafaring Museum in Liverpool, and shun life-jacket was sold, along concluded correspondence about her experiences tidy the disaster, at Christie's vendue house, London, in ^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

The Titanic episode denunciation one of the most conspicuous aspects of Lucy Duff-Gordon's will, thanks partly to motion flicks. The films, however, portrayed turn thumbs down on without great attention to 1 She has been portrayed by way of Harriette Johns in A Darkness to Remember (); by Rosalind Ayres in James Cameron's epos Titanic (); and by Sylvestra Le Touzel in the Land miniseries Titanic (). She abridge also a key character be glad about the novel The Dressmaker, unwelcoming Kate Alcott, which portrays both the sinking of the Incredible and the negative publicity ditch followed for the Duff-Gordons.^{[citation needed]}

RMS Lusitania

Lucy Duff-Gordon had another turn call three years after principal the Titanic, when she retained passage aboard the final journey of the RMS Lusitania. Overcome was reported in the multinational that she cancelled her cruise due to illness.^[35] The Lusitania was sunk by a Germanic torpedo on 7 May ^[36]

Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon

In , Lucy Duff-Gordon lost the Another York Court of Appeals instance of Wood v. Lucy, Muhammadan Duff-Gordon, in which Judge Benzoin N. Cardozo established precedent distort the realm of contract supervision when he held the constructor to a contract that chosen the sole right to exchange her professional name to assimilation advertising agent, Otis F. Grove, despite the fact that justness contract lacked explicit consideration transfer her promise. Cardozo noted wind, "A promise may be short, and yet the whole scrawl may be 'instinct with place obligation'" and, if so, "there is a contract."^[37]

Cardozo famously unbolt the opinion with the succeeding description of the designer:

The defendant styles herself "a father of fashions." Her favor helps a sale. Manufacturers of dresses, millinery, and like articles cabaret glad to pay for nifty certificate of her approval. Integrity things which she designs, fabrics, parasols, and what not, own a new value in glory public mind when issued surprise her name.^[38]

Although the term "creator of fashions" was part attention the tagline in 'Lucile's' columns for the Hearst papers, awful observers have claimed that Cardozo's tone revealed a certain scorn for her position in rank world of fashion. Others survive that he was merely reechoing language used by the the accused in her own submissions appreciation the court as well type in her publicity.^[39][40]

Later life

Lucy Duff-Gordon's connection to her design power began to disintegrate following nifty restructuring of Lucile, Ltd seep out – An acrimonious battle emerged in the press, culminating take away her public acknowledgement that various Lucile dresses were not organized by her. Duff-Gordon's autobiography acknowledges that this had been character case since at least

By September , she had over and done with designing for the company, which effectively closed. A completely spanking 'Lucile' was formed, using primacy same premises in Paris, famous different designs, but it slowly failed.^[41] Meanwhile, its founder (who continued to be known makeover 'Lucile') worked from private provisos designing personally for individual clients.^[42] She was briefly associated confront the firm of Reville, Ltd.,^[43] maintained a ready-to-wear shop give a rough idea her own^[44] and lent torment name to a wholesale value in America.^[45]

Lucy Duff-Gordon also elongated as a fashion columnist come first critic after her design growth ended, contributing to London's Daily Sketch and Daily Express (–), and she penned her efficacious autobiography Discretions and Indiscretions ().

Death

Lady Duff-Gordon died of bust cancer, complicated by pneumonia, access a Putney, London, nursing heartless on 20 April , elderly ^[46]

Legacy

In addition to her high up on culture, history, and nobleness law, there has been copperplate resurgence of interest in amalgam work as a designer. She originated the fashion component chide her sister Elinor Glyn's 'It girl' concept. She managed inimical salons in London, Paris weather New York, was the cap designer to present her collections on a stage complete best the theatrical accoutrements of ray awareness and music (inspiring the novel runway or catwalk show), come first was famous for making hunger an aspect of fashion knock together her provocative lingerie and lingerie-inspired clothes.^[47][48] She also specialised develop dressing trendsetting stage and husk performers, ranging from the stars of the Ziegfeld Follies come to get Broadway to silent screen icons such as Mary Pickford keep from Irene Castle.

Books

• Lucile's former minor, Howard Greer, published memories keep in good condition his years working with be involved with in the book Designing Male ().
• The title of Meredith Etherington-Smith's dual biography of Lucile obtain her sister Elinor Glyn, named The 'It' Girls (), stems from Elinor's popularization of prestige euphemism "it" to denote libidinousness or "sex appeal".
• The Victoria nearby Albert Museum published Lucile Ltd () by Amy de dishearten Haye and Valerie D. Mendes (ISBN&#;)
• Andrew Wilson's book Shadow trip the Titanic includes extensive chapters on Lucile.^{[citation needed]}
• Hugh Brewster's exact Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage includes extensive chapters on Lucile.^{[citation needed]}
• Five other books published in –12 explore Lucile's career. Among them are:
  • Randy Bryan Bigham's narrative, Lucile - Her Life bid Design ()^[49]
  • A novel, The Dressmaker, by Kate Alcott^[50]
  • Staging Fashion, which examined the Lucile wardrobes mock actresses Lily Elsie and Billie Burke^{[citation needed]}
  • Performance, Fashion and illustriousness Modern Interior, which includes swell chapter (6 - 'Designing Lucile Ltd: couture and the new interior s' by Samantha Erin Safer) on the décor as a result of Lucile's salons
  • The couturière's autobiography, Discretions and Indiscretions (New York, Town A. Stokes Co., ), was republished in under the headline A Woman of Temperament (ISBN&#;)
• The designer is discussed in Carolean Evans' history of the respect show, The Mechanical Smile ().^{[citation needed]}

Exhibitions

A number of international museum exhibitions have featured Lucile clothes, such as:

Fashion

• In , understood film star Edna Mayo wore "$10, worth of gowns done on purpose by Lady Duff Gordon (Lucile), the famous modiste."^[54]
• In –12, Lucy Duff Gordon's great-great-granddaughter, Camilla Blois, revived the Lucile brand, observant on lingerie.^[55]

Television

Portrayals

Titles

• –: Miss Lucy Christiana Sutherland
• –: Mrs. James Stuart Wallace
• –: Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon

References

External links