Social Victorians/People/Dressmakers and Costumiers

People Who Made Costumes for the Ball
The Queen often mentions the dressmaker or costumier in its reports on the costumes at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 fancy-dress ball at Devonshire House as well as in general.

The Gentlewoman covered this topic explicitly in its report on the ball:"Very great credit is due to the taste and artistic powers of the designers of these dresses, and particular mention must be made of M. Comelli, of Covent Garden Theatre, whose facile pen designed most of the superb toilettes so ably carried out by Messrs. Alias, of Soho-square. Other theatrical costumiers who brought all their special talents to bear on the historical and fancy costumes required for this function were Messrs. Nathan (artist, Mr. Karl), of Coventry-street; Messrs. John Simmons & Sons, Haymarket; Mme. Auguste, of Wellington-street; Harrison's, Ltd., 31, Bow-street; Simmons, 7 and 8, King-street; Mr. Clarkson, 44, Wellington-street; Mme. Fisher, 26, Bedford-street; and many others. A great number of well-known modistes in London were also called upon to supply dresses. Amongst these we chronicle M. Mason, New Burlington-street; M. Machinka, Conduit-street; Paquin, of Dover-street; Jays, Ltd., Regent-street; Messrs. Durrant, 116, Bond-street (who made Lady Londonderry's magnificent gown), and numerous others."The London Evening Standard cites the sources of its information about the costumes:"We are indebted for some of the particulars of the dresses to Mr. Charles Alias, Soho-square; Messrs. L. and H. Nathan, Coventry-street, Haymarket; Messrs. John Simmons and Son, Coventry House, Haymarket; Mr. May, Garrick-street, Covent-garden; Miss Mary E. Fisher, 26 Bedford-street, Covent-garden; and the Lady newspaper."The Morning Post also addressed the costumiers. It named Mr. Alias in association with the royals, as well as mentioning several other costumiers by name:"The costumes worn by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and the Duchess of Connaught, as well as many others were supplied by Mr. Alias, of Soho-square. Those worn by the Grand Duke Michael of Russia, the Duke of Manchester, Princess Victor of Hohenlohe, and others were made by Mr. W. Clarkson, of Wellington-street, who also supplied the wigs and headdresses for the Royal Family. Messrs. Simmons and Sons, of the Haymarket, made a large number of costumes, including those of the Duke of Somerset, the Marquis of Winchester, Earls Beauchamp, Carrington, Ellesmere, and Essex. Nathan, of Coventry-street, and Simmons, of King-street, Covent-garden; Madame Frederic, of Lower Grosvenor-place, and Mrs. Mason, of New Burlington-street, also made some of the principal costumes."On 3 July 1897, the day after the ball, the Belfast News-letter says,"For weeks past all the leading London dressmakers and costumiers had been hard at work executing the orders for this great ball. At Alias Nathan's, Clarkson's, Auguste's, and Simmons' all hands set to with a will, and it is gratifying to know that the dresses entrusted to them more than held their own with those sent over from Paris."

According to the Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald, citing the Daily Mail, Lady de Grey is going as Zenobia, and is getting her dress from Doucet, I hear, while Worth also is making a great many costumes; but the greatest number are being made in England. The Duchess of Portland, the Duchess of Hamilton, Lady Mar and Kellie, and Miss Muriel Wilson are all going to the costumier in Soho-square, and Alias has also been summoned to Marlborough House for a consultation. Mr. Caryl Craven, who is so clever in such matters, is helping the Duchess of Leeds with her dress; in fact, everyone seems pressed into the service, and the result will be one of the most brilliant sights that ever was seen.

Costumiers for Theatres and Operas
Not present at the ball but certainly very involved in it were the people who made the clothing, hats, wigs, jewelry, and so forth. Besides people who made the costumes (costumiers, dressmakers, and modistes) and wigs (perruquiers), embroiderers, jewelers and shoemakers are occasionally mentioned although almost never named in the newspaper accounts.

Not all of these may have been costumiers; some of the less well known might have been clothiers instead.

Mr. Charles Alias
Mr. Charles Alias, 36 Soho Square

Personal Details

 * Charles Georges Alias (1852 – 11 May 1921 )
 * Sarah Alias

Notes


 * 1) Will probated on 6 October 1921, effects of £6376 18s. 5d. to Marie Alias, widow.
 * 2) 1881 Census: Charles Alias was born in France; they lived at 114 St Martins Lane in St Martin in the Fields; his occupation is listed as Costumier (Milliner); 2 boarders and a servant were living with them: Robert Soutar (age 51, comedian/actor), Harriet Morgan (age 28, comedian/actor) and the general domestic servant Lucy Ann Hewitt (age 23). Other servants' names follow, but apparently they were not living in 114 St Martins Lane.
 * 3) 1891 Census: Charles Alias was born in France; they lived at 36 Soho Square; his occupation is listed as Theatrical Costumier;

Costumier
M. Comelli, designer and costumier at Covent Garden, designed the costumes that were constructed by Mr. Alias of Soho Square. Mr. Alias made costumes for the following guests at the ball:
 * Several newspapers specifically name Mr. Alias as one of their sources of information about the costumes for the Duchess of Devonshire's ball: The London Echo ; the London Evening Standard
 * The column "Girls' Gossip" names M. Alias in its discussion of the costumes:"Herr von André was a splendid Benvenuto Cellini in brown and crimson, a perfect triumph of M. Alias's art. In fact, it was owing to the studious research and historical accuracy displayed by this clever costumier that so many of the dresses were so realistically pictorial. Alias dressed the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, Duke of York, Prince Christian, Lord Lathom, and about a hundred other great ones of our island for the occasion."
 * "Charles Alias was French and very small. He had started as a traveller in artificial flowers and married a little dressmaker in Long Acre. They started making theatrical costumes and later moved to 36 Soho Square."
 * In its Appendix of Royal Warrant Holders, the 1902 Debrett's also says "Charles Alias, Costumier, 36, Soho Square. W." (n.p.; end of book)
 * The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, Vol. 1, says, "Alias & Co prospered in the 1880s, having a major success with their new costumes for the transferred version of the amazing Dorothy [a comic opera by Alfred Cellier, libretto by B. C. Stephenson, "transferred" from the Gaiety to the Prince of Wales's Theatre in 1886 and then to the Lyric Theatre in 1888, the most successful of the productions ], and on into the 1890s by which ..."; "The Aliases made their mark in the West End when they provided the costumes for the original London production of La Fille de ..." (taking from snippets)
 * BNA search: Alias, Costumier, 36, Soho Square, London: 1898 shows a lot of advertisements.
 * In 1892 Mr. C. Alias, 36, Soho Square, W., was a director of the 13th Annual Dramatic Ball, at the Freemasons' Tavern.
 * In a gushing piece written for the 15 December 1899 Music Hall and Theatre Review, "The Bohemian Girl" says that Alias executed Comelli designs for a Christmas pantomime Triumph of Music. She goes on to talk about Willie Clarkson's work for another pantomime and a visit by Mrs. Langtry.


 * 1) Albert Edward, Prince of Wales
 * 2) The Duke of Connaught
 * 3) The Duke of York
 * 4) Duke of Fife
 * 5) The Duke of Devonshire
 * 6) Julia Stonor, Marquise of Hartpoul
 * 7) Violet, Countess of Mar and Kellie
 * 8) Fanny, Baroness Tweedmouth
 * 9) Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
 * 10) Princess Louise, Duchess of Connaught
 * 11) Mary, Dowager Duchess of Hamilton
 * 12) The Duchess of Portland
 * 13) Miss Muriel Wilson
 * 14) Adolf von André
 * 15) Lady St. Oswald
 * 16) Earl of Rosebery

Willie Clarkson
Mr. W. Clarkson, of Wellington-street

Clarkson is also listed among the perruquiers. Clarkson made the costumes for the following guests at the ball:


 * Grand Duke Michael of Russia
 * The Duke of Manchester
 * Laura, Princess Victor of Hohenlohe
 * Princess Louise

M. Comelli
Attilio Giuseppe de Comelli von Stuckenfeld (1858-1925).

Comelli "was appointed house designer to the Royal Opera House in the 1890s" continuing "to the early 1920s." At the same time, "He was credited as Artist in Chief at the Alhambra, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and the Royal Opera House in London, and also found time to provide costumes for some of the Savoy operas and for Christmas pantomimes in London and Australia." After coming "to London in the late 19th century [he] quickly established himself as one of the most prolific designers for the London stage."

He described his research process for costume design for the July 1902 Cassell's Magazine:"When I get the order to prepare designs for a new play … [sic ellipsis] I first spend some weeks in studying, at the British and South Kensington [now the Victoria & Albert] Museum, every available authority on the period, and I frequently send my brother to Paris and Berlin, if there is a chance of getting information there that is not available in London’. (‘The Art of Theatrical Disguise’ by Sidney Dark, Cassell’s Magazine, July 1902, pp.162–7)."According to the Royal Opera House, he "appears to have had several siblings, including possibly Emilio Andrea Comelli (1862–1929)." Also, perhaps another relative, Italian painter Dante Comelli (1880–1958) designed for the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden later.

Comelli's designs for the Duchess of Devonshire's 1897 fancy-dress ball:
 * Comelli designed the costumes that were constructed by Mr. Alias of Soho Square.


 * Comelli designed the costumes of the attendants of Louise, Duchess of Devonshire as well as her own costume. Alias did not construct her costume, the House of Worth did.
 * Comelli may have designed the costumes of the entourage of Daisy, Princess of Pless, although Mrs. Mason made Daisy's dress. George Cornwallis-West says his costume was "designed by a famous theatrical designer of the day."

Miss Mary E. Fisher
Mme. or Miss Mary E. Fisher, 26, Bedford-street, Covent-garden
 * Miss Mary E. Fisher is cited as one of the sources of its information about the costumes by the London Evening Standard.

Charles H. Fox
Fox: "perruquier and costumier Charles H. Fox. Since 1878, Fox had been a major supplier of wigs and costumes for private theatricals and fancy dress balls."

Harrison
Harrison's, Ltd., 31, Bow-street
 * In a chatty column written as a letter to "Dearest Amy," the article in Truth on the ball says, "Princess Henry of Pless was another [Queen of Sheba], and her dress was absolutely magnificent. The conception of it was both poetic and artistic, and is due, I believe, to the genius of Mrs. Harrison."
 * There are ads for Harrison's.

May
Mr. May, Garrick-street, Covent-garden


 * Mr. May is cited as one of the sources of its information about the costumes by the London Evening Standard.

Nathan
Messrs. L. and H. Nathan, Coventry-street, Haymarket; 17, Convent-street, Picadilly


 * Messrs. L. and H. Nathan is cited as one of the sources of its information about the costumes by the London Evening Standard.
 * Mr. Karl, artist, designed the costumes made by Messrs. L. and H. Nathan of Coventry-street
 * Messrs Nathan made the costumes for the following people:
 * Elizabeth, Lady Harcourt
 * Emma, Lady Rothschild

Simmons and Sons
Messrs. John Simmons and Sons, Coventry House, Haymarket. Simmons, 7 and 8, King Street, Covent Garden. Possibly there are 2 Simmonses?

The Harry Ransom Center has a collection on this firm: The London costumier B. J. Simmons & Co. was founded in 1857 by a Mr. B. J. Simmons and operated by his direct descendants well into the 1930s. Simmons' costumes were known for their correctness of period, sophisticated design, and high quality. ... In their busy Covent Garden workshop, dressmakers turned out immaculately constructed stage apparel, often from renderings by leading costume designers. Successful theater managers repeatedly turned to Simmons for historical costumes, especially Herbert Beerbohm Tree whose magnificent stagings of Shakespeare were often outfitted by Simmons.

While best known as a historical costumier for the London stage, Simmons' output was diverse. The company created costumes for a variety of shows in the West End, the provinces, and overseas, ranging from Victorian pantomime to the "kitchen sink" dramas of the 1960s. ... In addition to making new costumes for professional productions, Simmons operated a thriving rental business which allowed operatic and dramatic societies across England to hire beautifully made garments for amateur productions. Like many theatrical costumiers, Simmons maintained a substantial nontheatrical trade.

Simmons began as a family-run outfit known variously as B. J. Simmons, J. B. Simmons, John Simmons & Son/Sons, Simmons/Symmons/Simmonds Brothers, G. B. Simmons, and B. & G. Simmons. The force majeure seems to have been John Simmons, whose name appears in The London Stage and in London newspapers until 1922. According to J. P. Wearing, between 1890 and 1899 Simmons provided costumes for at least forty-two theatre productions in London. Simmons' contributions to costumes for the Duchess of Devonshire's 1897 fancy-dress ball:
 * Messrs. John Simmons and Son is cited as one of the sources of its information about the costumes by the London Evening Standard.
 * Simmons and Sons made costumes for the following guests at the ball:
 * Francis Egerton, 3rd Earl of Ellesmere
 * The Duke of Somerset
 * The Marquis of Winchester
 * Earl Beauchamp
 * Earl Carrington
 * Earl Essex
 * Viscount Esher
 * Lord Ampthill
 * Lady Ampthill

Smaller Concerns

 * Mme. Auguste, of Wellington-street
 * Mr. W. Clarkson, 44, Wellington Street (costumes and wigs)

Unknown Whether Costumier or Dressmaker

 * Mme. Ellis: "The pretty costumes of Merlin and Vivian worn by Mr and Mrs Willie Walker at the Devonshire House Ball, were made by Mme. Ellis, 16, Upper George-street, Bryanston-square."
 * Madame Frederic, of Lower Grosvenor Place
 * "and many others"

Fashion Houses, Couturiers and Modistes
The Gentlewoman says, "A great number of well-known modistes in London were also called upon to supply dresses." Among those who helped construct the costumes and wigs include the following:

Mr. Caryl Craven

 * On 12 June 1897, the Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald, citing the Daily Mail, says that "Mr. Caryl Craven, who is so clever in such matters, is helping the Duchess of Leeds with her dress."

Doucet
A gossipy article in Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald (citing the Daily Mail) says, "Lady de Grey is going as Zenobia, and is getting her dress from Doucet, I hear," although she went as Cleopatra and not Zenobia (only the Duchess of Devonshire went as Zenobia).

Mme Durrant
Mme Durrant's concern, at the end of the 19th century, at least, was at 116 & 117 New Bond-street, London W. An ad in The Queen says,"Court Dressmaker and Milliner. The Latest Paris Models in Morning, Afternoon, Tailor, and Evening Gowns, Millinery, and Mantles.'"Mme Durrant made the costumes for the following guests at the ball:


 * 1) Theresa, Marchioness of Londonderry The dress and fabrics for the Marchioness of Londonderry as well as her quadrille, were made in Britain or Ireland.

Mme Durrant made at least a couple of dresses for Queen Mary (early 20th century). Also, perhaps early 20th-c, Durrant had an address on Dover Street. The Queen also has ads for a "Mr. Durrrant's Ladies' Taylor and Habit Maker" in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 1892.

Mrs. Mason
M. or Mrs. Mason, of 4, New Burlington Street, W. Mrs. Mason made costumes for the following guests at the ball:
 * "Dress and Fashion" answer by Adern Holt in the Queen to queries posed by "Correspondents": "F ANCY D RESS . — For the beautiful ball such as you describe you cannot do better than go to Mrs Mason, New Burlington-street, for the costume about which you inquire. It needs very careful making and the most artistic designs, and these you would be sure to obtain there, for the dresses she made for the Duchess of Devonshire's ball were quite artistic masterpieces."


 * 1) Daisy, Princess of Pless
 * 2) Mabel, Lady Ashburton
 * 3) Violet, Lady de Trafford
 * 4) Lady Sophie Scott
 * 5) Lady Lurgan
 * 6) Katherine, Duchess of Leeds
 * 7) Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland
 * 8) Lady Ethel Meysey Thompson
 * 9) Muriel Wilson
 * 10) Lady Ida Edmonstone
 * 11) Mary Goelet
 * 12) Lady Edward Cavendish
 * 13) Lady Sarah Wilson
 * 14) Countess of Derby
 * 15) Mrs Bourke
 * 16) Duchess of Roxburghe

Morin-Blossier
The French "tailoring workshop" of Morin-Blossier "possibly" made the dress worn to the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 fancy-dress ball by


 * Alexandra, Princess of Wales
 * Princess Maud of Wales (Princess Charles of Denmark)
 * Duchess of York
 * Princess Victoria

Mrs Sims' Court Dress Establishment, Dublin
Mrs Mary Sims, Dawson Street, Dublin

Mrs Sims made a dress decorated with beetle wings in c. 1880; this dress still exists and is in the NMI collections. According to Elaine Hewitt, "Mary Sims was a court dressmaker by Royal appointment, who established herself from 1863 as the most prominent dressmaker in Dublin."

Mrs Sims made costumes for the following guests at the ball:


 * Lady Beatrix, Countess Cadogan

Other people Mrs Sims made clothes for:


 * Alexandra, Princess of Wales, 1885: Kate Strasdin offers an example of Alexandra's strategic use of clothing: a gown Alexandra wore to a Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace was, according to the Times, "a dress of rich yellow satin and silver brocade, draped with silver lace, corsage to correspond, made by Mrs Sims of Dublin." What is strategic is the release of Mrs Sims's name, since "[t]he communication of this detail can only have come from the royal household itself, demonstrating the control that Alexandra exerted over details released to the press relating to her appearance."
 * Ishbel, Marchioness Aberdeen, 1886: "Ishbel, Lady Aberdeen (1857–1939), [wore a "costume of an Irish lady in the thirteenth century"] in 1886 while presiding over a garden party at the Vice Regal Lodge in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, an event to which the 2,000 invited guests were expected to wear clothes of Irish manufacture."

Smaller Concerns

 * Madame Fréderic: made the costume for Princess Mary of Teck
 * Jays, Ltd., Regent-street
 * M. Machinka, Conduit-street
 * Maison Lucille: made Mrs. James's costume
 * Mrs. Nettleship: made the Countess of Yarborough's costume
 * Paquin, of Dover-street : made the dress of Madame von André

Worth, of Paris
Located in Paris, Maison Worth or the House of Worth — named for owner and designer Englishman Charles Frederick Worth — was a very influential couturier in the 2nd half of the 19th and the first quarter of the 20th centuries."Worth’s designs are notable for his use of lavish fabrics and trimmings, his incorporation of elements of historic dress, and his attention to fit. While the designer still created one-of-a-kind pieces for his most important clients, he is especially known for preparing a variety of designs that were shown on live models at the House of Worth. Clients made their selections and had garments tailor-made in Worth’s workshop."After having won design prizes at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, which was housed at the Crystal Palace, and the 1854 Exposition Universelle in Paris, Worth opened his own design house in Paris in 1858. The Empress Eugénie appointed him designer to the court of France :"Worth’s rise as a designer coincided with the establishment of the Second Empire in France. The restoration of a royal house in 1852, with Napoleon III (1808–1873) as the new emperor, once again made Paris an imperial capital and the setting for numerous state occasions. Napoleon III implemented a grand vision for both Paris and France, initiating changes and modernization that revitalized the French economy and made Paris into a showpiece of Europe. The demand for luxury goods, including textiles and fashionable dress, reached levels that had not been seen since before the French Revolution (1789–99). When Napoleon III married Empress Eugénie (1826–1920), her tastes set the style at court .... The empress’ patronage ensured Worth’s success as a popular dressmaker from the 1860s onward."Other patrons included women from Empress Eugénie's court, "Elizabeth of Austria, Margherita of Italy, Mme. de Castiglione, Mme. de Pourtales, and every reigning star in the theatrical and operatic world." (6) By the end of the 19th century, wealthy women from the US, the UK and around Europe were making their way to Maison Worth in Paris.

Besides his contributions to in developments in models of promotion and business for the couture fashion house, Worth's real influence took the form of a particular look, which for the end of the century we call the traditional Victorian style. After Charles Worth's death in 1895, his sons Gaston-Lucien and Jean-Philippe "succeeded in maintaining his high standards," and Jean-Philippe especially "follow[ed] his father’s aesthetic, with his use of dramatic fabrics and lavish trimmings." While we associate a particular look with it, the House of Worth designed its clothing for its customers, whose relationship with the traditional style could be nuanced and fluctuating. For example, Lillie Langtry sometimes purchased her gowns at Maison Worth, even at the time she was known not to be corseted, so the style of the House of Worth is also less static and extreme than the gowns of some of its customers might suggest.

Costumes for the Fancy-dress Ball
The House of Worth made costumes for the following guests at the Duchess of Devonshire's 1897 fancy-dress ball:


 * 1) Louise, Duchess of Devonshire, although the costume was designed by Attilio Comelli.
 * 2) Lady Randolph Churchill
 * 3) Mrs. Arthur Paget
 * 4) Daisy, Countess of Warwick

Perruquiers
Mr. W. Clarkson "supplied the wigs and headdresses for the Royal Family." "At the Duchess of Devonshire's ball, on the 2d inst., the Prince of Wales looked as if he had stepped out of a masterpiece by one of the old painters. His wig, which completed a correct make-up as Knight of Malta, was specially made and fitted by that favoured 'Royal Perruquier' Mr Willie Clarkson, who also had the honour of making and fitting the wigs worn by Prince Charles of Denmark, the Duke of York, and the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, and of dressing the hair of the Duchess of York and the Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. Mr Clarkson also supplied a number of the costumes, including those worn by the Grand Duke Michael of Russia, Princess Louise, and the Duke of Manchester. It would not be safe to say how many crowned heads have literally 'passed through the hands' of Mr Clarkson. The art of the perruquier is a very difficult one, requiring historical knowledge, patient research, and great taste. It is most essential to the success of any theatrical performance or of an historical ball."Clarkson also provided costumes and wigs for the amateur theatricals that the royals took part in to entertain themselves.

Jewelers
After naming costumiers, the Gentlewoman specifically mentions the Parisian Company for its jewelry and Mr. Norman of Bond Street for the shoes he made:"Among other firms [than the costumiers] who lent their aid to make the great ball a huge success was the Parisian Company, whose sparkling gems and jewels, and whose ropes of pearls and precious stones, enhanced the charms of many a fair dame in her dainty old-world costume, and the firm of Mr. Norman, 69, New Bond-street, who designed and made the shoes for the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Buccleuch, &c., &c."According to the Westminster Gazette, "One very great lady indeed had been lent, by a jeweller, diamonds worth about £13,000."

Notes and Questions

 * 1) Which costumier was this? "A well-known West End dressmaker booked for the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy dress ball orders representing £27000."