The Story Of Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon: Fashion Designer, Harper’s Bazaar Contributor, And Titanic Survivor
Thursday, June 13, 2024
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When it comes to fashion history, we mainly focus on the 20th century since it’s when all the famous houses emerged. However, for your knowledge of fashion history, it’s also important to learn about designers from the previous periods and early 1900s.
Today, we wanted to introduce you to Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon (June 13, 1863 - April 20, 1935).
Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, professionally known as “Lucile,” was one of the leading British fashion designers of the Edwardian era. She began dressmaking for friends, and opened her first salon, Maison Lucile, in 1891.
Lucile dressed wealthy European and American women, offering them slit skirts and low necklines that felt liberating from the constrictive silhouettes of the time. She was most famous for her luxurious, romantic dresses, particularly suited for evening wear. A distinctive trait of her work was that she liked to design dresses to reflect the personality of the wearer; they became known as "personality dresses”. Lady Duff-Gordon was also the first designer to offer more sensual and comfortable lingerie