House Style
As a designer, Norman Hartnell had the couturier's ultimate gift, that of being able to create wonderfully original ideas that would reflect the wearer's personality.He is most famous for the numerous elegant outfits made for the Royal Family, in particular Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for the clothing he created for the stars of his day to wear on and off stage.
His style was glamorous, highly sophisticated and complex - he regarded simplicity "as the death of the soul" and yet his evening gowns were legendary for their elegance. His use of sequins, extravagant fringes and other adornments gave a level of complexity to his creations that made the wearer sure in the knowledge that wherever they went, they would make an impact.
Couture clothing has always been central to the Hartnell business. Stunning clothes that made the wearer shimmer with a subtle glamour; clothing that adorned princesses, silver screen legends and the wealthy socialites of London and Hollywood.
Hartnell became known for the glamour and assurance of his clothes and by 1939 was making 2000 gowns per year for private customers. He dressed the elite of society for more than five decades.
From his earliest commissions for the Royal Family through to the stunning wedding dress created for Princess Margaret, Hartnell's style was flattering, elegant, but not always understated. While the dress he created for Princess Margaret had a modest high V-neck and tight-fitting bodice, the skirt was enormous, made of 40 yards of white silk organza, supported underneath bya stiffened tulle underskirt.
A dress created for Margaret Wigham and her marriage to Charles Sweeney had a train 18 feet long and 9 feet wide - it stopped the traffic in Knightsbridge.
The Norman Hartnell Menswear collections were striking. Suits with clean, sharp lines and glamorous evening wear using the latest in fabrics, colours and styles. The name, popular with both Licensees and their clientele, is synonymous with a strength and elegance that comes from the heart of what Norman Hartnell wanted to achieve as a designer.
His strength of cut and line is shown in a striking example from the late sixties - Hartnell was responsible for bringing back the double-breasted jacket in the late sixties; his styles are were the direct precursor to many of today's styles.
Norman Hartnell has consistently been one of the strongest licensed brands to come out of the English Couture market, with a strong identity and a legendary clientele, the Norman Hartnell brand is one that has great appeal not just in Hollywood, but around the world.
Norman Hartnell trademarks are registered throughout the world in all appropriate apparel, accessory and lifestyle categories.
Norman Hartnell was born in 1901. At a very early age it was clear that he had a great talent for drawing and design, but it was while he was studying Architecture at Cambridge that he started to design clothes . After University Norman started in the fashion trade, opening a salon at No.10 Bruton Street. Early clients included actors Noel Coward and Gertie Lawrence and author Barbara Cartland. In fact he dressed many of the 'superstars' of the time, including Isabel Jeans, Greer Garson, Merle Oberon, Norma Shearer, Marlene Dietrich and Vivienne Leigh.
In 1935 came the first Royal commission, to create the wedding dress for the marriage of the Duke of Gloucester and Lady Alice Montague Dougal Scott and the dresses for the bridesmaids, including the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. This was the first of many commissions for the Royal family culminated in his most famous, that for the Coronation Dress of Queen Elizabeth II. Hartnell continued to make for the great people of international society; until he passed away in 1979.
All of the foregoing is abstracted from the Norman Hartnell web site.
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