I have been made aware that there is an error in the information I posted
on Thursday 30 May 2002 regarding the Four Generations of London Couture
study day. Please note that the correct date for this study is FRIDAY 18
October 2002, not Saturday as previously stated.  My apologies for any
inconvenience this may have caused.  I have included the details again for
your information.

Four generations of London couture, 1890 - 2002: designers, clients and
clothes

A study day at the V&A
Friday 18 October 2002, 10.30 – 17.00
Lecture Theatre

This study day will examine the unique identity of London’s haute couture
industry, the special creativity of its designers and the sartorial
requirements of their royal and private clientele.

Defined literally, ‘couture’ means sewing or needlework. Implicit in the
term is a supreme quality of innovative design and workmanship. Despite the
rise of ready-to-wear and recurring declarations within the fashion press
that couture is dead, it remains a vibrant and important part of the global
fashion industry. Couture demands the highest level of technical expertise
and specialist craft skills and consumes the most luxurious, costly fabrics
and accessories. It is the vision of the couturiers that pushes fashion’s
boundaries towards a new modernity.

The roots of haute couture can be traced back to at least the 18th century
when all court clothing was made-to-measure by a dressmaker or tailor for a
particular client. The French couture industry was launched by the
Englishman Charles Worth in the 1860s and London kept pace by establishing
its own small but significant industry. Designs by Redfern and Lucile were
internationally renowned in their day, as were those of second generation
London couturiers such as Norman Hartnell, and post-War couturiers
including John Cavanagh. Since the 1980s a new generation of couturiers,
notably Catherine Walker, has kept English couture in the international
fashion spotlight and in the dawn
of the 21st century, London couture is on the brink of a renaissance as
long-established houses bring in new design talent.

The speakers for this event are leaders in their field, each with an
intimate knowledge of English couture as designers, museum curators and
academics. Recent fashion exhibitions and scholarly debate has focused upon
cutting-edge designer ready-to-wear fashion and street style. By analysing
the history of London’s couture industry within its socio-economic and
cultural contexts, the study day will redress this balance.

The day has been organised to coincide with the display of some 50 garments
by Catherine Walker within the V&A’s Dress Collection (Gallery 40). The
schedule allows time to visit the display and will conclude with a
discussion between the audience and a panel of speakers.
 Programme

Morning
Chair: Amy de la Haye

10.00  Museum opens
10.10  Coffee and registration
10.30  Welcome
Francis Pugh, Learning & Visitor Services, V&A

10.40   Susan North
Senior Fashion Curator at the V&A with special interest in dress of the
17th and 18th centuries. She co-authored, Historical Fashion in Detail: the
17th and 18th Centuries, with Avril Hart (V&A Publications) and has curated
several displays of dress at the V&A.

Redfern: the first English couturier
John Redfern began his career as a draper on the Isle of Wight in the
1840s. By 1892, the house of Redfern had grown to become a major fashion
empire, with 12 branches from Paris to Chicago.  The lecture will outline
the growth of this important company and how it established fine tailoring
for women as an essential component of English couture in the 20th century,
including their influence on designers such as Digby Morton, Hardy Amies
and Catherine Walker.

11.20   Lou Taylor
Professor of Dress and Textiles History at the University of Brighton. Her
most recent book is The Study Of Dress History (Manchester University
Press, 2002).

The consumption of London Couture in the early 20th century: Heather
Firbank and Maude Messel
Elegant couture clothes by London designers were created to meet the
precise social requirements of a specific group of fashion consumers in
Britain. London couture clothes were their social uniform, designed in
terms of etiquette-correct codings which both the designers and their
clients were obliged to follow. Using two case studies, drawn from quite
different social circles, this presentation will explore both the variety
of garments produced and the range of clientele who wore them.

12.00  Michael Pick
Director of Partridge Fine Arts plc and W. Thomas Restorations Ltd. He has
published books on the history of decoration, furniture and design and was
active in promoting London fashion in the 1970s. He is the author of the
biography of Norman Hartnell to be published by John Murray next year.

Norman Hartnell: jazz age to austerity
Based on years of research and examination of original garments, this
lecture will define Hartnell’s position as a world-famous London couturier
and his role in establishing London as an international fashion centre. It
will reveal Hartnell’s special talent for mixing fabrics, designing furs
and embroidery and will consider the client-driven nature of his designs
(his clientele embraced high society, leading theatre and film stars and,
later, royalty).

12.40  Discussion and questions
13.00  Break for lunch and opportunity to see Catherine Walker display
(Gallery 40)

Afternoon
Chair: Lou Taylor

14.15  Edwina Ehrman
Curator of Dress, Textiles and Decorative Art at the Museum of London, she
has published work on Hardy Amies (in The Englishness of English Fashion,
Berg, 2001), Charles Creed and Vivienne Westwood and has worked on many
exhibitions at the Museum of London, most recently Stolen Skins? Fur in
Fashion (2000).

Hardy Amies: the early years
In 1954 Hardy Amies wrote the first part of his autobiography Just So Far.
Witty, confident and ambitious, Amies described his contribution to fashion
as the creation of a ‘livery for living’. This talk will explore the
formative influences on Amies’ style and the retail strategies that
underpinned his business, set within the broader context of London’s
couture industry from the 1930s through to the 1950s.

15.00  Lindsay Robertson
Designer in couture and ready-to-wear, Head of Department for B.A. Hons.
Fashion and Design Technology courses and lecturer. Honorary Secretary to
the Costume Society of Great Britain

The Great Fashion War: John Cavanagh and the fashion skirmish 1950-1970
The post-war years saw a resurgence in couture as society recovered from
the privations of wartime austerity. London couture seemed set to win
internationally but the forces that it took on in its fight for survival
came from within as well as from without. The lecture offers a commentary
on this lost battle based on the personal experience of working with one of
the best of the ‘Top Twelve’ members of the Incorporated Society of London
Fashion Designers, and on extensive interviews with designers, mannequins
and journalists.

15.40  Tea

16.00  Amy de la Haye
Curator of the Catherine Walker display and author of the accompanying
publication. She is Senior Research Fellow at the London College of Fashion
and works as a freelance curator and creative consultant. From 1991-1998
she was Curator of 20th Century Dress at the V&A.

Catherine Walker. 25 years. British couture
An analysis of the creative and technical talents of this leading London
couturière. Based on extensive interviews with the designer and using
images from the interior of her London house, this session will describe
the challenges posed and inspiration derived from working as a couturier in
England today. It will conclude by examining the market for luxurious
couture clothes in the 21st century and consider the future of London’s
couture industry.

16.40  Panel discussion and questions
17.00  Close





Ticket prices for Four generations of London couture
Booking code: A EFE V 696 COUT
Full rate: £35
Concessionary rates: Senior Citizens, Friends and Patrons of the V&A, £29
Students on state-funded courses: £10
Registered disabled people and ES40 holders: £5
One carer accompanying a registered disabled person, or one lecturer
accompanying a group of ten or more students, will be admitted free of
charge
Ticket price includes morning coffee and afternoon tea






How to book

By phone
Credit card bookings can be made on 020 7942 2209 during normal office
hours.

By post
Completed booking forms, with a cheque payable to the Victoria and Albert
Museum and a self-addressed envelope, can be sent to the Box Office,
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

Booking information

Advanced booking is essential
The fee must be sent with your booking form. We regret we are unable to
invoice you or accept official orders.

Concessions
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card) must be provided when booking concessionary tickets. If booking by
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refund. All cancellations are subject to a 10% cancellation fee.

Access
The building does not have independent access, however please let us know
if you have a disability and we will make every effort to facilitate your
visit. The Lecture Theatre has an induction loop.

Tickets on the day
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advance. A temporary box office operates on the day of the event between
10.00 and 11.00 at the Exhibition Road entrance.

VAT
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agent on behalf of V&A Enterprises Ltd. All fees include VAT.

The V&A reserves the right to alter the programme at short notice. The V&A
is a charity exempt from registration

Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL
Tel: 020 7942 2000
www.vam.ac.uk
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To make a booking please complete this form and return it to the V&A Box
Office, Learning and Visitor Services, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell
Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL, tel 020 7942 2209 or  fax 020 7942
2193.

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Clare Cotton
Victoria and Albert Museum.