We’ve had this book in our family for years – it’s a first edition from 1955, given to my dad by the author, Norman Hartnell, dressmaker to the Queen.
The illustrations are just beautiful.
These are his first creations for the then Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose.. for a wedding. I love the way that he actually draws the Princesses and very accurately, too, rather than just putting on any old face.
He designed for many of the young Queen’s foreign visits – and she is always smiling in his drawings.
An arrangement of tulle that the Queen wore on a visit to Australia. I expect that was a whole trunk filled right there!
All these little snippets are leading me to say that vintage fashion books are such a worthwhile thing to collect… our copy of Silver and Gold is rather battered; I can actually remember as a child trying to copy some of the pencil illustrations.. but while it’s not an accessory as such, it’s well worth looking into the vintage fashion book market.
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5 comments
This is an interesting post, thanks for sharing:)
Really beautiful illustrations. Norman Hartnell was a real talent and these drawings are very representative of a bygone age. Thanks for posting the pictures.
What a fantastic family heirloom. I love books on the history of fashion or makeup. They’re so fun to just dive into. Thanks for sharing!
What a unique keepsake and I bet there’s few copies still around.
What a cool book. Those drawings are amazing (especially the mimosa dress, which reminds me of a Dior dress I saw recently in a magazine).