Sibling of Daedalus writes:
Following on from your John Rocha post earlier this week I thought readers might be interested in hearing about an earlier Irish designer, Digby Morton (above, with model).Digby was born in Dublin in 1906 (his father and grandfather were both accountants at Guinness) and studied at the Dublin School of Art before leaving for London in the 1930s
His beautifully cut designs feature in many iconic fashion photographs of the 40s, 50s and 60s, such as the famous Beaton ‘Fashion is Indestructible’ pic below showing a model in Digby Utility Suit and Victory Roll treading daintily over the debris of a London bomb site.
A Digby was a great investment because of its durability, agelessness, versatility and (thanks to the quality materials and excellent cut) its ability to look even better on a woman with a few extra pounds; check out this tweed slip below, crying out for a Christina Hendricks to do it justice: matching jacket and alternate top here and here
All was not lost, however, for the slender Digby gel, who had the happy option of padding herself out with furs and fuller skirts. Check out this model in Hyde Park looking a lot more comfortable in this lovely warm skater coat and boots (no round toe patent pigs’ trotters in those days).
And of course his evening dresses were things of beauty and simplicity designed to flatter any form
For those sensibly sceptical of assessing the merits of clothes as worn by very beautiful people, a number of the original Digby outfits sans model can be viewed here: The cut and quality does not disappoint. Modern designers (hi, Mr Rocha!) should take note. More Digby (from the 50s and 60s) below:
