Titled Women Who Run London Shops

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 38, 7 May 1927, Page 15

Titled Women Who Run London Shops

Amazing Successes of English Peeress

GOWNS AND HATS DESIGNED

Some of England's leading peeresses have had amazing successes in designing and making hats and gowns for their friends in London’s smart set. The following article from an American exchange tells an interesting story of the methods of these aristocratic shopkeepers.

Being at last numerous enough to constitute a special class, the titled dressmakers of London have recently taken to holding their own fashion exhibits and dress parades, and are competing openly with plebeian rivals for the favour of the buying public. In that rivalry they are using all the advantages that are theirs by reason of noble or at least gentle birth, as witness the recent fashion show at Devonshire House.

Among the exhibitors were the Viscountess Falkland, Lady Angela Forbes, Lady Charles Townshend. Lady Muriel Willoughby. England’s haughtiest peeresses attended, and the results to date have been highly gratifying to English women who have gone into trade. Women of title have achieved an amazing success in all sorts of business enterprises, particularly in fashion shops, and constitute a real menace to the prosperity of shopkeepers of “common birth."

The beautiful Lady Cheetham is one of three distinguished women who run the Marion Lambert Shop in Queen Street. It is one of the smartest cloak and gown shops in Europe. Lady Cheetham is the daughter of M. Muravieff, former Russian Ambassador to Rome. She has the true Russian’s temperament and love of colour. She delights to design gowns and cloaks in the weird but fascinating colour schemes no other modiste would ever think of.

Lady Victor Paget, wh,o “keeps shop” in Grafton Street, is one of those titled ladies who did not go into trade because she needed the money. She has plenty. When a reporter called at her home, she was in bed, but was interviewed through a third person, and said she went into business because everybody was doing it. “To do nothing but be ornamental is like wearing a last season’s frock," she added. “It’s getting to be conventional to go to work. Quite a good convention, too." MADE HATS FOR QUEENS Lady Bingham, another blue-blooded modiste and milliner, who trades under the name of Rose Bertin, is considered one of the cleverest. She made hats for the Queen of Spain when the Queen visited London recentlv. Still more recently she outfitted the Honourable Mrs. Gilmour, chosen as the companion of the Duchess of York on her trip to Australia. And, of course, when her niece, Lady Barbara Bingham, was married, Lady Bingham made the trousseau and kept the profits in the family. The Viscountess Falkland is in some ways the most interesting of the titled women now in trade.

Wife of a Scottish peer, she opened her shop in Brompton Arcade to make money and also to accommodate women of high degree and low’ incomes who find the dress problem a serious one.

“Until women of our class turned shopkeepers, the big shops were organised to serve the great, prosperous middle class," she says. “Hardly anywhere in London was there a shop where a woman of taste and limited means, such as a member of the impoverished nobility, could buy a gown of the right sort without paying a huge price. I cater to such trade. Most of it comes from my own circle. My acquaintances have faith in my taste." The Viscountess had another reason for setting up shop. It gives her an excuse when she wishes to dodge a social engagement. On the whole, she finds business more interesting and less wearing than society. Lady Angela Forbes, daughter of the Earl of Rosslyn, who was the “enfant terrible" of society, has settled down and is running a gown shop which, for some unknown reason, she calls the “Peter Rabbit."

Lady Muriel Willoughby is the only titled woman to run a shop exclusively for children’s clothes. She finds the designing of such clothes much more interesting than the planning of clothes for grown-ups. FEW AMERICANS One of the very few titled Americans in England to go into business is Lady Henry, formerly a Lewisohn of New York. Not only is she the proprietor of the smart shop, “Vestia,” she has fashion shows every now and then at her beautiful Carlton Gardens home. When he was at the height of his power, Lady Henry was one of the closest friends of Lloyd George. Some of the “ladies in trade" have, from time to time, engaged in legal warfare with the more orthodox commercial houses, and seldom have they come off second best. There was the sensational lawsuit of Mrs. Fox-Pitt, tracing descent back to two famous Prime Ministers, against the house of Paquin, gown designers. Under the name of “Elspeth Phelps." she had had considerable success, and when she sold out to Paquin she was retained by the purchasing firm at a large salary, mainly because of her name. A disagreement arose later. She was discharged and certain petty charges weer made against her. Just recently Mrs. Fox-Pitt won her suit for back salary against the firm, plus £90,000 ($450,000), for damages. She has allied herself with another firm, and her following is remaining faithful to her. A CONSULTING SPECIALIST Lady Fortescue, whose husband was Librarian to the King until a little while ago, was once the owner of “Cintra," a stylish dress shop, and has since become a consulting specialist in what she calls callopistics. “Callopistics means to beautify," she explains. “I am willing to advise on anything from the beauty standpoint—your skin, your hair, your dresses, your voice, your home, your husband, if you have one. I’m alone in the field."

Princess Lobanov, sister of Lady Egerton, is manager of the London branch of Paul Caret, of Paris and London, and has an interest in the business.

“We make most of the gowns worn by the world’s two most fashionable queens,” the Princess says. “I mean the Queen of Rumania and the Queen of Spain. We make for members of British royalty, too —Princess Mary and Princess Louise. “My sister, Lady Egerton, revived the ancient embroidery industry of Rhodes, which was becoming a lost art. and the beauty of the work appeals to women of highly cultivated tastes. We decided to go into trade because we were so successful during the war selling bonds and working for the Hoover Fund. Neither my sister nor myself is an expert designer, but we know where to find them." The Princess and her sister have as their assistants young women of their own caste, so that they are constantly

training up a small army of aristocratic girls who plan to take their place in the trade. Not all the noble dressmakers of the West End are women, by the way; one of the most successful being George Fitzgeorge, grandson of the Duke of Cambridge and cousin of the King. His store, called “The Paris Trades,” is opposite the new Devonshire House. George tells interviewers that he actually had to take up some sort of business to keep going. “Paris Trades" is a quaint and curious place, with tiny portholes instead of windows, so if one wants to see the beautiful models one must go inside.

Mr. Fitzgeorge is probably correct in saying he needs the money, for he is fond of the good things of life, and it takes money to get them. Almost every night, after closing time. you may find George over at Chez Victor’s, one of the smartest and costliest of the night clubs, so you may guess the store is doing nicely. Probably the most popular modiste's shop in London is that conducted under The firm name of “Francois Duret” by the Baroness de Stockel and the Princess Galgizine.

Baroness de Stockel is an Irish woman and the Princess is of the Russian imperial family. They conduct a sort of salon, at which tea, sandwiches and cocktails are served, quite as if they were in their own drawing-rooms. There are always receptions there. Instead of bridge there are dress parades. Those whose presence or trade is not desired are discouraged, politely but firmly. For a long time now th“ gatherings at Duret’s on an exhibition afternoon have been the most exclusive you could find in London. Business has grown at a dizzying rate, admits the Baroness, who discovered that what was lacking in trade was that refined, social atmosphere They number among their clients the Queen of Norway, the ex-Queen of Greece, Princess Marie of Greece and Princess Victoria. “All because we had the originality to see a future for the first shop in London to acquire a social cachet." say the two noble shop-yvomen in chorus. LADY DUFF-GORDON RETURNS In view of all this business enterprise in high places, it tft interesting to note that Lady Duff-Gordon, the famous “Lucile,” has returned to dressmaking after succumbing to the lure of the motion pictures for a while. Lady Duff-Gordon was the pioneer of the titled class in breaking into trade, and she did so at a time when her title alone was a guarantee of financial success. Recently she entered into an arrangement with Reville, dressmaker io Queen Mary and the most famous gown designer in E.ng.and, by which both will profit. Like many of these artistic males, Reville is no business man, and not so long ago lost his business, being forbidden by the court to use his own name for trade purposes again. Sensing the possibilities. Lady DufrGordon opened a little place at No. 50 Grosvenor Street, made her arrangements with Reville and he began to create gowns there. Of course his name is not on the door. He is never mentioned in the “literature.” But the world that matters knows he’s there, and Reville is Reville, whether h failed or not. Titled ladies and newly rich ones with the price "Lucile” demands have beaten a track to the door, I and the place is prospering.