Mrs Lucy Wallace, Lady Duff Gordon as she became, transformed her business from a modest home-based dressmakers into the leading international fashion enterprise, Lucile Ltd, with salons in London, Paris, New York and Chicago and her work was ranked alongside Jacques Doucet and Paul Poiret by the fashion media. Her lavish and alluring fashions attracted a prestigious and famous bevy of Edwardian beauties including Georgina, Countess of Dudley, Lillie Langtry and Lily Elsie.

 

This unique book is based upon the V&A’s unpublished Lucile archive and focuses on Lucile Ltd’s Autumn 1905 fashion album, which features hand-painted plates and samples of luxurious fabrics and trimmings. Also drawing on Lady Duff Gordon’s intriguing autobiography, her story gives valuable insights into the rarefied world of high society and the extraordinary times through which she lived.

 

Valerie D Mendes is a fashion and textiles historian who became Chief Curator of the former Textiles and Dress Department at the V&A. She has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely on twentieth century dress and textiles. Amy de la Haye is Reader of Fashion Curation and Material Culture, and joint Director of the M.A. in Fashion Curation, at London College of Fashion. She also works as a writer and creative consultant and was formerly Curator of 20th Century Fashion at the V&A.