My favourite designers would have to be Chanel and Jean Muir.
I love the way Chanel took womens clothes onto a new 'easy, sophisticated' level and Jean Muir for her wonderful jersey dresses.Clothes from both these designers wouldn't look out of place today.

I'm always amazed by the interest in our Royal family. Yes, we're all looking forward to the wedding but I can't say I've seen much in the media about who's going to design/make THE WEDDING DRESS. Occasionally we see Kate/ Wills on TV christening a lifeboat or similar, tho Wills is currently in NZ visiting their earthquake area around Christchurch.
Gieves and Hawkes is one of the tailors who specialise in items for the military.My DH went there to be measured up for various uniforms/shirts etc.It was always a good excuse to have a few days in 'the city' (London) (DH is retired now but I married into the military, as the saying goes).
Being British we try not to get excited about these events. Secretly, we're as interested as everyone else!!

I really must press these keys harder.My previous comment should have read 'invited' NOT ivited.

Well, these have to be some of the most boring dresses seen in public.There wasn't one I really liked enough to think 'If I was ivited to a 'posh do' that's the kind of dress I'd like to wear!!!'

This should be an interesting book.Horrockses dresses were far too expensive for the average woman,including my mother. They were reviewed in many of the newspapers which gave women ideas as to how to copy the Horrockses 'look'.Some of the cheaper department stores also made similar garments and many women made their own dresses and, although there wasn't the choice of quality fabrics, it brightened up the lives of many who'd had a frugal time during the war years and afterwards, money and resources being thin on the ground.I recall my mother making up some printed cotton into a dress with matching short jacket in a 'Horrockses style'.Somehow my father managed to loose the jacket, which he'd been asked to hold.It was not the done thing, in those days, to chastise your husband in public, but she gave him a good telling off when we arrived home !! Happy days

I have quite a few vintage books, mainly from the 70's.Also two booklets relating to crochet patterns which date from the 60's, the price displayed in shillings.Pounds, shillings and pence disappeared from the UK in 1971 when decimalisation took it's place.
My mother gave me a booklet on tailoring which also dates from the 60's but the oldest fashion related item I have is a cutting from a wartime newspaper which shows how to make a pair of French knickers.You had to make your own inch squared paper.My mother used newspaper as there was nothing else.The idea was to reuse old underslips etc to introduce some much needed glamour into women's lives.