Sybil Connolly
Sybil Connolly | |
---|---|
File:Sybil Connolly Irish fashion designer.jpg | |
Born | Swansea |
January 24, 1921
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Dublin |
Occupation | Fashion designer |
Notable credit(s) | Honorary doctorate National University of Ireland, 1991[1] |
Sybil Connolly (24 January 1921 – 6 May 1998) was a Dublin-based fashion designer who was known for creating haute couture from Irish textiles, including finely pleated linen and Carrickmacross lace, and later for her work with brands such as Tiffany & Co.. Her fashion label's famous clients included Jacqueline Kennedy.[2]
Said to have put Irish fashion on the map, she was described by former Taoiseach (prime minister) Jack Lynch as: "a national treasure".[3]
Contents
Early life and career
Sybil Connolly was born in Swansea.[2] Her father was an Irish insurance salesman and her mother was of English and Welsh descent.[4] Her education came largely from her Welsh grandfather and private tutors.[4] Her father died while she was a teenager and the family moved to Ireland, where she spent two years at a convent school.[4]
Her interest in fashion drew her to London where she worked for the prestigious firm of Bradley & Co – whose clients included Queen Mary. Connolly would attend Buckingham Palace fittings where she was allowed to hold the pins.[4][3] Returning to Ireland in 1940, she worked for Richard Alan in Dublin, replacing the head designer in 1953. There her work was spotted by American buyers.[4]
Establishment of label
Connolly held her first major show in 1953. It was a huge success – thanks in part to Harpers Bazaar editor Carmel Snow. It was attended by American press and buyers and her career took off rapidly after that, especially in the United States.[5][6] When she travelled to the US later that year, the cover of Life featured Anne Gunning in one of her crochet dresses and a full length red cape with the coverline: 'Irish invade fashion world'.[6] Connolly officially launched her couture label in 1957; she was 36.[6]
Part of Connolly's success may be attributed to her flair for publicity.[5] She was also a glamorous advert for her brand – a 1954 feature in Housewife magazine gushed: "this fairytale person has looks. Short curling dark hair. Eyes the brown of peat...And a model figure too".[7] She was made part of the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1965.[8]
As her profile continued to rise in the United States, so did her client list – with Julie Andrews and Elizabeth Taylor wearing her clothes.[6] Notably, Jacqueline Kennedy wore a Sybil Connolly creation when she sat for an official White House portrait.[2] Many of her designs were sold, via private shows, to prominent social names such as Rockefeller and Dupont family members.[4]
Among her assignments was to redesign habits for three orders of nuns – the Sisters of Mercy in the United States and two Irish orders.[4]
Brand hallmarks
Connolly was adept at reworking traditional Irish fabrics and styles – including peasant blouses, flannel petticoats and shawls – to give them contemporary appeal and glamour.[4][3] Perhaps her most distinctive contribution to fashion was pleated handkerchief linen – as worn by Jackie Kennedy in the official White House portrait – it took up to nine yards of Irish linen handkerchiefs to create one yard of the uncrushable pleated fabric that she pioneered.[6][3] Designs were created in Ireland, and Connolly employed up to 100 women, mostly crocheting and weaving in their own homes.[6] Although there was intricate craft in her designs, prices were lower than the typical European couture label.[6]
Later career
Her home, number 71 Merrion Square – which she described as "the house that linen built" – became a showcase for her taste and private clients would be served jasmine tea by a butler called James.[6][3] Located in one of the most fashionable areas of Dublin, it was what she called a "shop window for Ireland".[4] In the 1980s, Connolly began designing for luxury goods makers Tiffany & Co, Tipperary Crystal, Brunschwig & Fils and Schumacher.[4]
In 2012, Connolly's work attracted renewed interest when actor Gillian Anderson wore a vintage dress by the designer for the BAFTAs.[9]
References
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- ↑ Vanity Fair
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Bibliography
- Connolly, Sybil Irish Hands: The Tradition of Beautiful Crafts, Hearst Books, 1995