Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon
British fashion designer and Titanic survivor (1863-1935) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff-Gordon (née Sutherland; 13 June 1863 – 20 April 1935) was a leading British fashion designer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who worked under the professional name Lucile.
Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon | |
---|---|
Born | Lucy Christiana Sutherland 13 June 1863 London, England |
Died | 20 April 1935(1935-04-20) (aged 71) London, England |
Spouses | |
Children | Esme Giffard, Countess of Halsbury |
Relatives | Elinor Glyn (sister) Tony Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury (grandson) |
Nationality | English |
Label | Lucile Ltd. |
The first British-based designer to achieve international acclaim, Lucy Duff-Gordon was a widely acknowledged innovator in couture styles as well as in fashion industry public relations. In addition to originating the "mannequin parade", a precursor to the modern fashion show, and training the first professional models, she launched slit skirts and low necklines, popularized less restrictive corsets, and promoted alluring and pared-down lingerie.[1]
Opening branches of her London house, Lucile Ltd, in Chicago, New York City, and Paris, her business became the first global couture brand, dressing a trend-setting clientele of royalty, nobility, and stage and film personalities.[2] Duff-Gordon is also remembered as a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, and as the losing party in the precedent-setting 1917 contract law case of Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, in which Judge Benjamin N. Cardozo wrote the opinion for New York's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals, upholding a contract between Duff-Gordon and her advertising agent that assigned the agent the sole right to market her name.[3] It was the first case of its kind, clothes labelled and sold at a lowered cost in a cheaper market under an expensive "brand name".