Pink, red and yellow flower printed cocktail dress, from Sketch Book of 1960 & 1961, London College of Fashion Victor Stiebel Archive.
"The Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) is pleased to announce the launch of the Victor Stiebel Archive from the London College of Fashion, which has now been fully digitised and made available online.
Victor Stiebel (1907-1976) was a British fashion designer and his clients included members of the aristocracy and the royal family, including Princess Margaret, and he also had an international reputation and dressed stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Vivien Leigh.
The Archive at London College of Fashion includes three sketchbooks from his couture house in the early 1960s. The sketch books show models wearing his designs, ranging from stylish cocktail dresses to smart suits and blouses, and the books would serve as an overview of a collection and and be shown to clients to encourage them to place orders. The three sketch books cover Stiebel’s final years before ill health forced him to retire in 1963.
South African born Stiebel originally moved to England to study architecture in Cambridge where he designed the décor and costumes for the Footlights Review. He went on to train with the court dressmaker Reville & Rossiter and in the early 1930s opened his own business in Mayfair in London. After a period in the army during the Second World War and then working for Jacqmar as Director of Couture, he opened his own business again in Cavendish Square.
These new images add to the vast collection of material that has already been opened up online from the unique and extensive archives of the London College of Fashion. This includes images of sewing patterns; shoes from the Cordwainers College; promotional photographs of wool fashions from the Woolmark Company; promotional photographs of cosmetics from Gala and other cosmetics companies; as well as photographs which chronicle the history of the College from its origins as two early needle trade schools up until the 1970’s. In total this includes almost 8000 images which have been made available online for free use in non-commercial learning, teaching, and research.
To view the London College of Fashion Victor Stiebel Archive, see:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections/LCFVS
To view all the VADS collections, see:
http://www.vads.ac.uk/collections"
VADS Blog, 10.10.11
Wolf Thomas - am Dienstag, 18. Oktober 2011, 21:03 - Rubrik: English Corner
