London Society Fashion 19051925: The Wardrobe of Heather Firbank

The br>v&a is an invaluable resource for costume designers. I was fortunate to be able to look at some of the clothes in the Heather firbank collection when I was researching for the first series of Downton Abbey - These were fine examples and particularly relevant. Susannah buxton, Emmy award-winning costume designer for Downton Abbey (series 1 & 2) over 80 years ago, Heather firbank packed away her extensive collection of fine clothes, bought from Londons very best dressmakers and tailors. These treasures lay undiscovered for the next 30 years, until after her death, they were given to the br>v&a, laying the foundations for the Museums world-famous collection. Firbank was an enthusiastic Shopper and bought her clothes from the worlds leading couture houses, including lucile, Redford and mascotte, as well as private dressmakers and Department stores. Her collection forms an invaluable record of fashionable Edwardian taste over a period of some 15 years. Beautifully illustrated with new photography of finely crafted evening gowns, tailored suits and glamorous hats, the book also features contemporary photographs and pages from Heathers own albums of fashion cuttings. It vividly maps out the London couture scene of Edwardian Britain, and charts changes in fashion through the tumultuous first decades of the twentieth century. Through the story of Heathers own life, both joyous and troubled, this book celebrates the central role of clothing in creating a single womans identity.