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If it’s wacky, so the saying goes, it must be London. But if it’s glamour, romance and classical drop-dead gorgeous style with a contemporary twist, it must be Elizabeth Emanuel. In these turbulent times, one industry that seems not only to be doing well but flourishing is Fashion. While the feel-good boost inherent in looking one’s best is evident, in today’s finicky fashion world, where fantasy is an end in itself and magic-made-to-order the order of the day, few designers can deliver like Elizabeth Emanuel.
The London designer’s clothes are the stuff that women only dream of. Her smoldering lines, fresh and original, take risks; they evoke an era of film star glam when women oozed confidence and life was one magical expectation after another. Yet recently, when the Paris couture shows wound up, with all the usual suspects strutting their wares, Emanuel’s to-drool-for designs were not among them.
Born to an American father and British mother, Elizabeth Emanuel burst onto the world stage as the wunderkind couturier chosen to design Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding dress. In 1981, while the entire world focused on the marriage of Lady Diana, it was Emanuel’s now famous black evening dress that was to change overnight the image of a shy teenager into that of a future princess; it was to Emanuel and then-husband David that the princess bride turned to create the wedding dress of the century.
During the next few years Elizabeth was to develop her trademark blend of fantasy and natural flair, building a clientele list that reads like Jack Valenti’s little black book: Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger, Jane Seymour, Patsy Kensit, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jerry Hall, Joan Collins, Shakira Caine, Ivana Trump. During this time the Emanuels, working with Mark McCormack, developed a range of licensed products for the British, American and Japanese markets. In 1982 a lavish coffee table book tracking the Emanuel glamour through the seasons was commissioned and published by Pavilion Books.
In 1987 the Emanuel Shop was opened in London’s prestigious Beauchamp Place, bringing the Emanuels’ previously exclusive clothing to the general public. The collections sold at Browns, Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London; at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Henri Bendel, Barneys and Neiman Marcus in the USA.
In 1990, Elizabeth was commissioned by Walt Disney, to design a gown for Snow White on her 60th anniversary. Later that year Elizabeth and David separated, with Elizabeth retaining the Brook Street studio & salon and her own logo and label, ELIZABETH EMANUEL.
A media personality in her own right, Elizabeth was invited by Harlech Television to present one of a series of fashion programs broadcast nationwide. As a TV presenter Elizabeth traveled to Russia to meet Yuri Gregorovich of the Bolshoi Ballet and the renowned Russian Designer, Zaitsev. She also presented a series of wedding reports for Granada TV.
In 1991, at Richard Branson’s request, Elizabeth designed the current, highly successful complete range of Virgin Airlines uniforms, luggage and accessories. She was then commissioned by Elizabeth Taylor to design her wardrobe for the promotion of her ‘White Diamond’ perfume and by Joan Collins to design her wardrobe for the much-publicized launch of her book, ‘Prime Time’.Elizabeth’s designs have always been influenced by history, and 1995 was a very busy year. She designed the costumes for the full length period feature film, “The Changeling”, directed by Marcus Thompson, and following the phenomenal success of Richard Branson’s Virgin Airline uniform, Britannia Airways, the UK’s biggest charter group, asked Elizabeth to design a brand new image and uniform for staff and cabin crew which was launched in April 1997.
The next month, Elizabeth took her collection of wedding dresses to New York for a trunk show at Saks Fifth Avenue. The trip to New York coincided with the Diana Princess of Wales Auction at Christie’s, and proved to be an unqualified success resulting in massive media interest and appearances on every major network including the Larry King Show — confirming her standing as a leading fashion designer of international repute.
By late 1997 Elizabeth had been commissioned to produce the wedding dress for Estee Lauder’s forthcoming international television campaign for the perfume “Beautiful” featuring Elizabeth Hurley. Shortly afterwards, another campaign followed, and the photograph was published in leading magazines worldwide.
The next year Elizabeth was again commissioned by Estee Lauder, this time for their PLEASURES campaign featuring Hurley in an ELIZABETH EMANUEL floral ball gown. The photos appeared in the March 99 edition of American Vogue and other leading magazines.
In March 1999, she launched a new venture with backer Richard Thompson. The company was based in Chalk Farm and her exquisite salon at 49 Dorset St, London W1. The range consisted of bridal, couture and ready to wear, all displaying the same attention to detail and exquisite fabrics that have become her hallmark. She worked with Itochu to create a presence in the rapidly growing wedding market in Japan, and in November 2000 she was asked by Marshall Fields, the US department store, to create the spectacular wedding finale for their FASH BASH.
As a result of huge public interest, the BBC filmed two 45-minute documentaries of her work over the course of the last 2 years. After the acquisition of Chester Barrie, Thompson’s group made the decision to concentrate on menswear and Elizabeth opted to go her own way.
In July 2001, the anniversary of Royal Wedding, ABC invited Elizabeth to New York to show her collection of Royal Memorabilia on Good Morning America. Since then, she has been working as the design consultant for The Luxury Brand Group concentrating on the development of their newly acquired Norman Hartnell brand. She has also produced a series of figurines for Compton & Woodhouse, the UK’s leading collectables company.
In spite of this stellar creativity, and a backlog of made-to-order commissions for everyone from marchionesses to movie stars, why isn’t the world being treated to Emanuel’s…
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If it’s wacky, so the saying goes, it must be London. But if it’s glamour, romance and classical drop-dead gorgeous style with a contemporary twist, it must be Elizabeth Emanuel. In these turbulent times, one industry that seems not only to be doing well but flourishing is Fashion. While the feel-good boost inherent in looking one’s best is evident, in today’s finicky fashion world, where fantasy is an end in itself and magic-made-to-order the order of the day, few designers can deliver like Elizabeth Emanuel.
The London designer’s clothes are the stuff that women only dream of. Her smoldering lines, fresh and original, take risks; they evoke an era of film star glam when women oozed confidence and life was one magical expectation after another. Yet recently, when the Paris couture shows wound up, with all the usual suspects strutting their wares, Emanuel’s to-drool-for designs were not among them.
Born to an American father and British mother, Elizabeth Emanuel burst onto the world stage as the wunderkind couturier chosen to design Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding dress. In 1981, while the entire world focused on the marriage of Lady Diana, it was Emanuel’s now famous black evening dress that was to change overnight the image of a shy teenager into that of a future princess; it was to Emanuel and then-husband David that the princess bride turned to create the wedding dress of the century.
During the next few years Elizabeth was to develop her trademark blend of fantasy and natural flair, building a clientele list that reads like Jack Valenti’s little black book: Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger, Jane Seymour, Patsy Kensit, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jerry Hall, Joan Collins, Shakira Caine, Ivana Trump. During this time the Emanuels, working with Mark McCormack, developed a range of licensed products for the British, American and Japanese markets. In 1982 a lavish coffee table book tracking the Emanuel glamour through the seasons was commissioned and published by Pavilion Books.
In 1987 the Emanuel Shop was opened in London’s prestigious Beauchamp Place, bringing the Emanuels’ previously exclusive clothing to the general public. The collections sold at Browns, Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London; at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Henri Bendel, Barneys and Neiman Marcus in the USA.
In 1990, Elizabeth was commissioned by Walt Disney, to design a gown for Snow White on her 60th anniversary. Later that year Elizabeth and David separated, with Elizabeth retaining the Brook Street studio & salon and her own logo and label, ELIZABETH EMANUEL.
A media personality in her own right, Elizabeth was invited by Harlech Television to present one of a series of fashion programs broadcast nationwide. As a TV presenter Elizabeth traveled to Russia to meet Yuri Gregorovich of the Bolshoi Ballet and the renowned Russian Designer, Zaitsev. She also presented a series of wedding reports for Granada TV.
In 1991, at Richard Branson’s request, Elizabeth designed the current, highly successful complete range of Virgin Airlines uniforms, luggage and accessories. She was then commissioned by Elizabeth Taylor to design her wardrobe for the promotion of her ‘White Diamond’ perfume and by Joan Collins to design her wardrobe for the much-publicized launch of her book, ‘Prime Time’.
Elizabeth’s designs have always been influenced by history, and 1995 was a very busy year. She designed the costumes for the full length period feature film, “The Changeling”, directed by Marcus Thompson, and following the phenomenal success of Richard Branson’s Virgin Airline uniform, Britannia Airways, the UK’s biggest charter group, asked Elizabeth to design a brand new image and uniform for staff and cabin crew which was launched in April 1997.
Elizabeth’s designs have always been influenced by history, and 1995 was a very busy year. She designed the costumes for the full length period feature film, “The Changeling”, directed by Marcus Thompson, and following the phenomenal success of Richard Branson’s Virgin Airline uniform, Britannia Airways, the UK’s biggest charter group, asked Elizabeth to design a brand new image and uniform for staff and cabin crew which was launched in April 1997.
The next month, Elizabeth took her collection of wedding dresses to New York for a trunk show at Saks Fifth Avenue. The trip to New York coincided with the Diana Princess of Wales Auction at Christie’s, and proved to be an unqualified success resulting in massive media interest and appearances on every major network including the Larry King Show — confirming her standing as a leading fashion designer of international repute.
By late 1997 Elizabeth had been commissioned to produce the wedding dress for Estee Lauder’s forthcoming international television campaign for the perfume “Beautiful” featuring Elizabeth Hurley. Shortly afterwards, another campaign followed, and the photograph was published in leading magazines worldwide.
The next year Elizabeth was again commissioned by Estee Lauder, this time for their PLEASURES campaign featuring Hurley in an ELIZABETH EMANUEL floral ball gown. The photos appeared in the March 99 edition of American Vogue and other leading magazines.
In March 1999, she launched a new venture with backer Richard Thompson. The company was based in Chalk Farm and her exquisite salon at 49 Dorset St, London W1. The range consisted of bridal, couture and ready to wear, all displaying the same attention to detail and exquisite fabrics that have become her hallmark. She worked with Itochu to create a presence in the rapidly growing wedding market in Japan, and in November 2000 she was asked by Marshall Fields, the US department store, to create the spectacular wedding finale for their FASH BASH.
As a result of huge public interest, the BBC filmed two 45-minute documentaries of her work over the course of the last 2 years. After the acquisition of Chester Barrie, Thompson’s group made the decision to concentrate on menswear and Elizabeth opted to go her own way.
In July 2001, the anniversary of Royal Wedding, ABC invited Elizabeth to New York to show her collection of Royal Memorabilia on Good Morning America. Since then, she has been working as the design consultant for The Luxury Brand Group concentrating on the development of their newly acquired Norman Hartnell brand. She has also produced a series of figurines for Compton & Woodhouse, the UK’s leading collectables company.
In spite of this stellar creativity, and a backlog of made-to-order commissions for everyone from marchionesses to movie stars, why isn’t the world being treated to Emanuel’s zip and zing on Paris catwalks?
In short, in order to be able to showcase her unique collections, what Elizabeth Emanuel needs is a few good men. Or, for that matter, women. And as importantly as she needs financial backers willing to go to bat for an extraordinary talent with an extraordinary track record, she needs someone who believes in what she knows about herself: that Elizabeth Emanuel is just the person to add the sparkle, the glamour, the romance, magic and yes, new blood that today’s Paris couture collections are missing.
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