“I loosed upon a startled London, a London of flannel underclothes, woollen stockings and voluminous petticoats, a cascade of chiffons, of draperies as lovely as those of Ancient Greece and drapes skirts which opened to reveal slender legs…I showed the world that a woman’s leg can be a thing of beauty, instead of a ‘limb’ (in the parlance of those days), which was only spoken of in the privacy of the fitting-room.” ~ Lady Duff Gordon
Courtesy of Ye Olde Fashion Tumblr via the Victoria & Albert Museum
The models in their gorgeous white tea gowns are lounging around outside because Lady Duff Gordon was the first entrepreneur to have outdoor fashion parades. Brilliant idea!
The two ladies holding umbrellas have gorgeous dresses and gorgeous hats. I would wear them in a heartbeat.
I LOVE that hat in the second photo! Where can I get one? 😉
@heidenkind: Me too. The shape looks easy…a future tutorial?
@Hels: It’s so unfortunate that Lady Duff Gordon’s contribution to fashion is buried beneath history and her Titanic reputation; she was incredibly innovative and many 20th century designers got their start under her label.