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90-400: The princess line is popularly associated with Charles Frederick Worth who first introduced it in the early 1870s. It was named in honour of the famously elegant Princess Alexandra . By the late 1870s and early 1880s the princess dress was a popular style. It is considered one of the first " bodycon " (body-conscious) fashions due to its extremely closely fitted design, presenting the figure in

180-494: A bit 'Frenchy'", also noted that he was of medium height, strongly but not stoutly built with a dark moustache and had the appearance of a man who lived temperately. While the 1874 correspondent described Worth as "not a man to be afraid of if one has a liberal exchequer", it was implied that the couturier was not afraid to dictate to clients what they should wear: "Yet Mr Worth declares he has any amount of trouble with women – that they want to wear colours that don't become them and

270-590: A century and a half before Galliano ". Charles Frederick Worth was born on 13 October 1825 in the Lincolnshire market town of Bourne to William and Ann Worth. Some sources say he was their fifth and final child, and the only child other than his brother, William Worth III, to survive to maturity. Others say he was the family's third child. Charles' father was a solicitor – described as "dissolute" – and left his family in 1836 after ruining its finances, leaving his mother impoverished and without financial support. At

360-482: A château) described an abundance of faience china; a conservatory full of exotic plants; a winter garden and stables full of immaculately turned out horses. The gardens contained statuary and stones retrieved from Tuileries Palace (former home of his foremost patron Empress Eugénie) that were about to be incorporated into a new hothouse . Charles Frederick Worth's funeral was held at the Protestant Church in

450-526: A cost of £5 million. The London bus routes 6 , 9 , 14 , 19 , 22 , 38 , N9 , N19 , N22 , N38 and N97 all run along Piccadilly. In 1972, a westbound bus lane was introduced between Piccadilly Circus and St James's Street. In November 1976 an eastbound bus lane was introduced between Old Park Lane and Berkeley Street. Part of the Piccadilly line on the London Underground travels under

540-578: A fire in 1733, and rebuilt as Devonshire House in 1737 by William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire , and was subsequently used as the headquarters for the Whig party . Devonshire House survived until 1921, before being sold for redevelopment by Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire for £1 million. Burlington House has since been home to the Royal Academy of Arts , the Geological Society of London ,

630-573: A flawless one went for £300. The premises at 190–195, built in 1881–1883, housing the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours and known as the "Royal Institute Galleries", are grade II listed. Number 195 is now home to BAFTA , Lyons ' first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain, ultimately numbering around 200 locations, with the firm becoming

720-540: A framework for making and marketing clothes that shaped the haute couture industry that followed. A biography for Museum of the City of New York notes: "Before Worth, the idea of a dress being recognizably the work of its creator didn't exist". He regarded clothing as an art, and for the first time, designed clothing, not for a client's taste, but based on his impression of what women should wear. He presented finished model designs to clients and dress buyers in similar fashion to

810-555: A garment by phone, by mail, or by visiting one of Worth's branch stores in London, Cannes , or Biarritz . Worth displayed garments at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris , as it had at earlier great exhibitions. The company's annual turnover was placed at around five million francs at the turn of the century. While Worth's obituary in The Times described him as a "dressmaker", he developed

900-426: A law that allowed disused buildings to be used for emergency shelter for the homeless. The radical squatting movement that resulted foundered soon afterward, owing to the rise of drug dealers and Hells Angels occupying the site. An eviction took place on 21 September 1969; the events resulted in the licensing of squatting organisations that could take over empty premises to use as homeless shelters. In 1983, A. Burr of

990-412: A natural (or at least, corseted ) form undistorted by either crinoline or bustle . Princess-line polonaises were worn over long underskirts. The princess line was also popular for young girls who wore it with a sash or, if slightly older, over a longer underskirt. The princess line was a staple of dress design and construction throughout the century. In 1951 the couturier Christian Dior presented

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1080-423: A princess-line based fashion collection which is sometimes called the "Princess Line", although its official name was Ligne Longue or "Long Line". The princess line remains a popular style for wedding dresses and a design staple for both day and evening dresses. More recently, the design principle has been applied to men's garments, which generally do not have waist seams. This clothing -related article

1170-560: A shop on No. 181 in 1781. The business continued after his death in 1810, and was run by his family until 1835. Hatchards , now the oldest surviving bookshop in Britain, was started by John Hatchard at No. 173 in 1797; it moved to the current location at No. 189-90 (now No. 187) in 1801. Aldine Press moved to Piccadilly from Chancery Lane in 1842, and remained there until 1894. The Egyptian Hall at No. 170, designed in 1812 by P. F. Robinson for W. Bullock of Liverpool,

1260-631: A small parcel of land, 1 + 3 ⁄ 8 acres in area, on the east of what is now Great Windmill Street . That plot may have never belonged to the Crown, and was owned by Anthony Cotton in the reign of Henry VIII . John Cotton granted it to John Golightly in 1547, and his descendants sold it to a tailor, Robert Baker, in c.  1611 –12. Six or seven years later, Baker bought 22 acres of Wilson's land, thanks largely to money from his second marriage. Baker became financially successful by making and selling fashionable piccadills . Shortly after purchasing

1350-601: A staple of the High Street in the UK. By the 1920s, most old buildings on the street had been demolished or were in institutional use; traffic noise had driven away residents, but a few residential properties remained. Albert, Duke of York lived at No. 145 at the time of his accession as King George VI in 1936. The clothing store Simpson's was established at 203 - 206 Piccadilly by Alec Simpson in 1936, providing factory-made men's clothing. The premises were designed by

1440-487: A statue of Eros was constructed on the junction in 1893, and the erection of large electric billboards in 1923. At the western end of Piccadilly is Hyde Park Corner , and the street has a major road junction with St James's Street and other significant junctions at Albemarle Street , Bond Street and Dover Street . The road is part of the A4 connecting central London to Hammersmith , Earl's Court , Heathrow Airport and

1530-399: A superabundance of trimming that is far from good taste". It appears Worth had the charm or gravitas to overcome his clients' requests for the wrong colour or trimming. His son Jean Philippe later recalled: "His practised eye discerned the color and style of robe that would most completely enhance a woman's charm, and with complete serenity she might leave the matter to him and give her mind to

1620-500: A year later, but wartime meant he had difficulty finding clientele, staying in business with lines of new maternity, mourning, and sportswear. During the siege of Paris , he turned his salon into a military hospital. At this stage, the partnership with Bobergh was dissolved – with the Swede returning to his home country. In common with other fashion designers, the House of Worth was affected by

1710-479: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This fashion -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Charles Frederick Worth Charles Frederick Worth (13 October 1825 – 10 March 1895) was an English fashion designer who founded the House of Worth , one of the foremost fashion houses of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is considered by many fashion historians to be

1800-490: Is a road in the City of Westminster , London, England, to the south of Mayfair , between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith , Earl's Court , Heathrow Airport and the M4 motorway westward. St James's is to the south of the eastern section, while the western section is built up only on

1890-483: Is evocative of many aspects of life in the city, both by day and by night. The music hall song " It's a Long Way to Tipperary " mentions Piccadilly and Leicester Square in its lyrics. It was written in 1912 about an Irishman living in London, but became popular after being adopted by the mostly Irish Connaught Rangers during World War I. The street is mentioned in Gilbert and Sullivan 's 1881 operetta Patience , in

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1980-507: Is now No. 221 Piccadilly and the parallel Jermyn Street since 1685. It remained in use throughout the 18th century before being demolished in 1870 to make way for a restaurant. St James's Church was first proposed in 1664, when residents wanted the area to become a separate parish from St Martin in the Fields . After several Bill readings, construction began in 1676. The building was designed by Christopher Wren and cost around £5,000. It

2070-676: Is now the London campus of the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology . Several members of the Rothschild family had mansions at the western end of the street. Nathan Mayer Rothschild moved his banking premises to No. 107 in 1825, and the construction of other large buildings, complete with ballrooms and marble staircases, led to the street being colloquially referred to as Rothschild Row. Ferdinand James von Rothschild lived at No. 143 with his wife Evelina while Lionel de Rothschild lived at No. 148. Melbourne House

2160-517: The British Journal of Addiction published an article on "The Piccadilly Drug Scene", in which the author discussed the regular presence of known dealers and easy accessibility of drugs. Today, Piccadilly is regarded as one of London's principal shopping streets, hosting several famous shops. The Ritz Hotel, Park Lane Hotel , Athenaeum Hotel and Intercontinental Hotel are located on the street, along with other luxury hotels and offices. During

2250-503: The Avenue de la Grande Armée . He was buried in the grounds of his villa at Suresnes, according to the rites of the Church of England . Marie Vernet Worth died three years later. Although its founder was gone, the House of Worth was now an established entity; its most successful years were those around 1900. During this time, women were ordering 20–30 gowns at a time. By 1897, clients could order

2340-463: The Bourne Civic Society . [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Alger, John Goldworth (1900). " Worth, Charles Frederick ". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 63. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Piccadilly Piccadilly ( / ˌ p ɪ k ə ˈ d ɪ l i / )

2430-494: The Exposition Universelle in Paris four years later. At the Paris exposition he had displayed a white silk court train embroidered in gold. With a wife and two sons, Gaston Lucien (1853) and Jean Philippe (1856), Worth was eager to establish himself. By this stage, he was a known name. He acquired a young Swedish business partner, Otto Gustaf Bobergh, and in 1858 the duo set up in business at 7 rue de la Paix , naming

2520-524: The Fortnum & Mason partnership on Piccadilly in 1705, selling recycled candles from Buckingham Palace . By 1788, the store sold poultry, potted meats, lobsters and prawns, savoury patties, Scotch eggs, and fresh and dried fruits. The street acquired a reputation for numerous inns and bars during this period. The Old White Horse Cellar , at No. 155, was one of the most famous coaching inns in England but

2610-826: The Linnean Society of London , the Royal Astronomical Society , the British Astronomical Association , the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Society of Chemistry . The land to the south of Piccadilly was leased to trustees of the Earl of St Albans in 1661 for a thirty-year term, subsequently extended to 1740. Nos. 162–165 were granted freehold by the king to Sir Edward Villiers in 1674. The White Bear Inn had been established between what

2700-481: The M4 motorway . Congestion along the road has been reported since the mid-19th century, leading to its progressive widening and removing the northern portions of Green Park. Traffic signals were installed in the 1930s. In the late 1950s, the Ministry of Transport remodelled Hyde Park Corner at the western end to form a major traffic gyratory system, including enlargement of Park Lane . It opened on 17 October 1962 at

2790-630: The Royal Academy , the RAF Club , Hatchards , the Embassy of Japan and the High Commission of Malta . Piccadilly has inspired several works of fiction, including Oscar Wilde 's The Importance of Being Earnest and the work of P. G. Wodehouse . It is one of a group of squares on the London Monopoly board. The street has been part of a main road for centuries, although there is no evidence that it

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2880-414: The Royal Academy of Arts , the Geological Society of London , the Linnean Society , and the Royal Astronomical Society . Several members of the Rothschild family had mansions at the western end of the street. St James's Church was consecrated in 1684 and the surrounding area became St James Parish . The Old White Horse Cellar , at No. 155, was one of the most famous coaching inns in England by

2970-430: The 1870s, they were appearing in fashion magazines read by wider society. Indeed, the influence of his designs may have spread even earlier via the fashion columns following Empress Eugénie's fashion choices in influential titles such as US magazine Godey's Lady's Book . Worth also changed the dynamic of the relationship between customer and clothes maker. Where previously the dressmaker (invariably female) would visit

3060-461: The 1870s. A contemporaneous account from a visitor to the home of "the Napoleon of costumiers" in 1874 described Worth's entrance to meet his party in: "a flowing grey robe that fell to his heels, lined with pale yellow, with a deep vest to match, and numerous other overlapping appliances that modified and gave elegance to a costume as unique as it was comfortable". The visitor, who described Worth as "not

3150-602: The 1981 Granada Television dramatisation, Bridgewater House in Cleveland Row was used as the exterior of Marchmain House. In Bram Stoker's novel Dracula , Jonathan Harker is astonished to see the Count in Piccadilly, which sets off a chain of events that leads to the formation of the group of vampire hunters. Later, Dracula is confronted by the vampire hunters in his house in Piccadilly, before making his escape. In Arthur Machen 's 1894 novella The Great God Pan , Helen Vaughan,

3240-611: The 20th century, it had been an established area for gentlemen's clubs; this usage has sharply declined, and only the Cavalry and Guards Club and the Royal Air Force Club remain. Piccadilly is a major thoroughfare in the West End of London and has several major road junctions. To the east, Piccadilly Circus opened in 1819 connecting it to Regent Street . It has become one of the most recognised landmarks in London, particularly after

3330-563: The 20th century. Notable instances are present in the characters of Bertie Wooster and his Drones Club companions in the Jeeves stories, and the character of James Crocker in the story " Piccadilly Jim ". Dorothy Sayers ' fictional detective Lord Peter Wimsey is described as living at 110A Piccadilly in the inter-war period. In the 1963 movie The Great Escape the character Ashley-Pitt portrayed by David McCallum tells Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett "See you in Piccadilly, Scott's Bar" as he

3420-531: The Albany, as does Jack Worthing from Oscar Wilde 's The Importance of Being Earnest . According to author Mary C King, Wilde chose the street because of its resemblance to the Spanish word peccadillo , meaning "slashed" or "pierced". In Evelyn Waugh 's novel Brideshead Revisited , the mansion Marchmain House, supposedly located in a cul-de-sac off St James's near Piccadilly, is demolished and replaced with flats. In

3510-600: The Walsingham were demolished when the Ritz Hotel opened on the site in 1906. No. 106, on the corner of Piccadilly and Brick Street, was built for Hugh Hunlock in 1761. It was subsequently owned by the 6th Earl of Coventry who remodelled it around 1765; most of the architecture from this renovation has survived. In 1869, it became home to the St James's Club , a gentleman's club that remained there until 1978. The building

3600-519: The age of 11, Charles was sent to work in a printer's shop. After a year, he moved to London to become an apprentice at the department store of Swan & Edgar in Piccadilly . Seven years later, Lewis & Allenby, another leading British textiles store, employed Worth. In 1846, Charles Frederick Worth moved to Paris. He arrived there speaking no French and with £5 in his pocket. By the time his mother Ann Worth died in Highgate , London, in 1852, Worth

3690-551: The architect Joseph Amberton in a style that mixed art deco and Bauhaus school design and an influence from Louis Sullivan . On opening, it claimed to be the largest menswear store in London. It closed in January 1999; its premises are currently the flagship shop of the booksellers Waterstones . During the 20th century, Piccadilly became known as a place to acquire heroin . Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece recalled people queuing outside Piccadilly's branch of Boots for heroin pills in

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3780-450: The client's home for a one-to-one consultation, with the exception of Empress Eugénie clients generally attended Worth's salon in rue de la Paix for a consultation and it also became a social meeting point for society figures. His approach to marketing was also innovative – he was the first to use live mannequins in order to promote his gowns to clients. His wife was his early model in the 1850s, leading Lucy Bannerman to describe Vernet as

3870-458: The contemplation of home affairs, her children and philanthropies". Charles Frederick Worth's dresses were known for their lavish fabrics and trimmings and for incorporating elements from period dress. He created unique pieces for his most important customers, but also prepared a variety of designs, showcased by live models, that could then be tailored to the client's requirements in his workshop. Among his key innovations in women's fashion were to

3960-448: The crinoline more narrow and gravitated the largest part to the back, freeing up a woman's front and sides. Worth's new crinoline was a major success. Eventually, Worth abandoned the crinoline altogether, creating a straight gown shape without a defined waist that became known as the princess line . Worth created a shorter hemline – a walking skirt – at the suggestion of Empress Eugénie, who enjoyed long walks but not long skirts. This

4050-402: The development of Portugal Street and the area to the north ( Mayfair ), and they became fashionable residential localities. Some of the grandest mansions in London were built on the northern side of the street. Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and close political adviser to the king, purchased land for a house; Clarendon House (now the location of Albemarle Street ) was built in 1664, and

4140-401: The earl sold the surplus land partly to Sir John Denham, who built what later became Burlington House . Denham chose the location because it was on the outskirts of London surrounded by fields. The house was first used to house the poor, before being reconstructed by the third Earl of Burlington in 1718. Berkeley House was constructed around the same time as Clarendon House. It was destroyed by

4230-434: The establishment Worth and Bobergh. Marie Vernet Worth played a key role from the start, both in the selling of the clothes and in introducing many new customers. Success came fast from this point on; in 1860 a ball dress Worth designed for Princess de Metternich was admired by Empress Eugénie, who asked for the dressmaker's name and demanded to see him the next day. In her memoirs, de Metternich commented: "And so...Worth

4320-415: The eye of the store's clients. Eventually, Gagelin granted Worth permission to open a dress department, his first official entrance into the dressmaking world. A 1958 article in The Times published shortly before a centenary exhibition in London to mark the opening of his Paris fashion house noted that the ambitious Englishman's ideas were almost too much for his employers: "The young Worth, full of ideas,

4410-420: The father of haute couture . Worth is also credited with revolutionising the business of fashion. Established in Paris in 1858, his fashion salon soon attracted European royalty, and where they led monied society followed. An innovative designer, he adapted 19th-century dress to make it more suited to everyday life, with some changes said to be at the request of his most prestigious client Empress Eugénie . He

4500-513: The financial downturn of the 1880s. Worth found alternative sources of revenue in British and American customers and also turned his attention to encouraging the struggling French silk industry. By the late 1880s, Worth had established characteristics of a modern couture house – twice annual seasonal collections and brand extensions through the franchising of patterns and fashion plates. One of his biographers notes that he had also successfully fostered

4590-414: The government to ban developments. Owing to the momentum of growth, the laws had little real effect. A plot of land bounded by Coventry , Sherwood, Glasshouse and Rupert streets and the line of Smith's Court was granted by Elizabeth I to William Dodington, a gentleman of London, in 1559–60. A year or so later it was owned by a brewer, Thomas Wilson of St Botolph-without-Aldgate. The grant did not include

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4680-538: The hall, including Great Expectations and Oliver Twist . The hall hosted performances from Antonín Dvořák , Edvard Grieg and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . It was demolished in 1905, and replaced by the Piccadilly Hotel. In the late 18th century, Piccadilly was a favoured place for booksellers. In 1765, John Almon opened a shop in No. 178, which was frequented by Lord Temple and other Whigs. John Stockdale opened

4770-413: The land, he enclosed it (the parishioners had Lammas grazing rights ) and erected several dwellings, including a residence and shop for himself; within two years his house was known as Pickadilly Hall. A map published by Faithorne in 1658 describes the street as "the way from Knightsbridge to Piccadilly Hall". A nearby gaming house, known as Shaver's Hall and nicknamed "Tart Hall" or "Pickadell Hall",

4860-401: The land, he enclosed it and erected several dwellings, including his home, Pikadilly Hall. What is now Piccadilly was named Portugal Street in 1663 after Catherine of Braganza , wife of Charles II , and grew in importance after the road from Charing Cross to Hyde Park Corner was closed to allow the creation of Green Park in 1668. Some of the most notable stately homes in London were built on

4950-407: The land. Several relatives claimed it, but after Mary Baker's death in about 1665, the estate reverted to the Crown. A great-nephew, John Baker, obtained possession of part of it, but squabbled over the lands with his cousin, James Baker; trying to play one another off, they paid or granted rights to Oxenden and a speculator, Colonel Thomas Panton , eventually losing out to them. By the 1670s, Panton

5040-523: The late 18th century, by which time the street had become a favoured location for booksellers. The Bath Hotel emerged around 1790, and Walsingham House was built in 1887. Both the Bath and the Walsingham were purchased and demolished, and the prestigious Ritz Hotel built on their site in 1906. Piccadilly Circus station , at the east end of the street, was opened in 1906 and rebuilt to designs by Charles Holden between 1925 and 1928. The clothing store Simpson's

5130-413: The late 1940s. By the 1960s, the street and surrounding area were notorious as the centre of London's illegal drug trade , where heroin and cocaine could be purchased on the black market from unscrupulous chemists. By 1982, up to 20 people could be seen queueing at a chemist dealing in illegal drugs in nearby Shaftesbury Avenue . No. 144 was occupied by squatters in 1968, taking advantage of

5220-399: The line of garments and their length. At the height of his success, Worth reformed the highly popular trend, the crinoline . It had grown increasingly large in size, making it difficult for women to manage even the most basic activities, such as walking through doors, sitting, caring for their children, or holding hands. Worth wanted to design a more practical silhouette for women, so he made

5310-589: The lyrics of the song "If You're Anxious For To Shine". One of the major hit songs of the Edwardian musical play The Arcadians (1909) which enjoyed long runs in the West End of London and on New York's Broadway is "All down Piccadilly" (Simplicitas and Chorus, Act III, revised version), with music by Lionel Monckton who also co-wrote the words with Arthur Wimperis . Piccadilly is mentioned in several works of fiction. E. W. Hornung 's "gentleman thief" Raffles lives at

5400-462: The modern-day haute couture designer, also using live models. Worth was also the first designer to label his clothing, sewing his name into each garment he produced - the first distinct brand logo on clothing. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has an archive of Charles Worth designs, including both sketches and garments. In 1956, the House of Worth (by then amalgamated with the fashion house of Paquin ) donated 23,000 drawings of dresses to

5490-523: The museum. Two years later, the V&;A held a major retrospective to mark the centenary of the foundation of Charles Frederick Worth's business. The Metropolitan Museum of Art also holds an archive of his work, including several evening gowns. A Charles Worth Gallery opened in his home town at Bourne, Lincolnshire, containing a display of documents, photographs and artefacts at the Heritage Centre run by

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5580-402: The myth of the "male 'style dictator'". Worth's sons Gaston and Jean, who had joined the business in 1874 to help with management, finance, and design, became increasingly active, leaving Worth free to take more time off in his later years; by this stage he had a variety of health problems, including migraines . On 10 March 1895, Charles Frederick Worth died of pneumonia at the age of 69. He

5670-444: The northern side of the street during this period, including Clarendon House and Burlington House in 1664. Berkeley House , constructed around the same time as Clarendon House, was destroyed by a fire in 1733 and rebuilt as Devonshire House in 1737 by William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire . It was later used as the main headquarters for the Whig party . Burlington House has since been home to several noted societies, including

5760-501: The northern side. Piccadilly is just under 1 mile (1.6 km) in length, and it is one of the widest and straightest streets in central London. The street has been a main thoroughfare since at least medieval times, and in the Middle Ages was known as "the road to Reading " or "the way from Colnbrook ". Around 1611 or 1612, Robert Baker acquired land in the area, and prospered by making and selling piccadills . Shortly after purchasing

5850-432: The road as "Portugal Street aka Piccadilly". John Rocque's Map of London , published in 1746, refers to the entire street as Piccadilly. Piccadilly was increasingly developed, and by the middle of the 18th century it was continuously built on as far as Hyde Park Corner. The development of St James's and Mayfair, in particular, made Piccadilly one of the busiest roads in London. Hugh Mason and William Fortnum started

5940-409: The satanic villainess and offspring of Pan, lives off Piccadilly in the pseudonymous Ashley Street. Margery Allingham 's fictional detective Albert Campion has a flat at 17A Bottle Street, Piccadilly, over a police station, although Bottle Street is equally fictitious. Several P.G. Wodehouse novels use the setting of Piccadilly as the playground of the rich, idle bachelor in the inter-war period of

6030-824: The scale of Worth's business with the Empress, for the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, she had decided she needed 250 Worth dresses. Apart from Empress Eugénie, he had numerous other royal clients, including Empress Elisabeth of Austria . Wealthy and socially ambitious women were drawn to Worth's showpiece creations. Over time this included American clients; Worth loved working with them because his French language skills never reached fluency and, as he put it, American women: "have faith, figures, and francs – faith to believe in me, figures that I can put into shape, francs to pay my bills". While some Americans bought Worth's gowns in New York at

6120-401: The sewing of Worth garments was by hand, although the advent of the early sewing machine meant some main seams could be stitched mechanically. Worth became Empress Eugénie's official dressmaker and ensured the majority of her orders for extravagant evening wear, court dresses, and masquerade costumes. She had him on call constantly to create dresses for events she attended. As an example of

6210-585: The shop of Catherine Donovan on Madison Avenue , many wealthy Americans travelled to Paris to have their entire wardrobe made by Worth – and that meant morning, afternoon and evening dresses as well as what were termed 'undress' items such as nightgowns and tea gowns. He would also design special occasion garments, such as wedding dresses. Alongside high society, the House of Worth also produced garments for popular stars such as Sarah Bernhardt , Lillie Langtry and Jenny Lind – who shopped there for both performance and private wear. Prices at Worth were dizzying for

6300-464: The street. Green Park , Hyde Park Corner , and Piccadilly Circus stations (which are all on the Piccadilly line) have entrances in or near Piccadilly. Down Street station also served the western end of the street from 1907 until it closed in 1932 because of low usage. [REDACTED] Piccadilly . is one of Letitia Elizabeth Landon 's Scenes in London in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836. It

6390-408: The time; the last bill it issued to Princess de Metternich – who had commented on the end of the 300 franc dress once Worth acquired royal patronage – was for the sum of 2,247 francs. Her purchase had been one lilac velvet dress. The most famous surviving portrait of Charles Frederick Worth shows him wearing a hat, fur-trimmed cape and cravat. It appears that he had adopted this distinctive dress from

6480-549: The title of the first couturier. Certainly, by 1870, his name was not just known in court circles, but appeared in women's magazines that were read by wide society. He is credited with inventing the hoop skirt and the bustle . Worth raised the status of dressmaking so that the designer-maker also became arbiter of what women should be wearing. Writing on the history of fashion and, in particular, dandyism, in 2002, George Walden said: "Charles Frederick Worth dictated fashion in France

6570-456: The world's first professional model. The fashion house had begun with 50 staff, but swelled over time to over 1,200 staff. This was work that required painstaking attention to detail, finesse and craftsmanship: a Worth bodice might have up to 17 pieces of material to ensure a good fit on its wearer. Seamstresses would be assigned to different workshops where they specialized in, for instance, making sleeves, stitching hems or skirt making. Most of

6660-459: Was a claim disputed in British society magazine Queen , which put his rise to prosperity down to perseverance, intelligence and industry; this article was later reprinted in the San Francisco Call . Although he was not in day-to-day control of House of Worth, he remained an active presence; his obituary in The Times noted that he had turned over the business some years earlier but: "he

6750-421: Was a sales assistant at Gagelin-Opigez & Cie, a prestigious Parisian firm that sold silk fabrics to the court dressmakers, also supplying cashmere shawls (then a ubiquitous accessory) and ready-made mantles . It was here that he met Marie Vernet, who became his wife in 1851. Worth began sewing dresses to complement the shawls at Gagelin. Initially, these were simple designs, but his expert tailoring caught

6840-485: Was celebrated enough to receive a variety of obituary notices. The notice in The Times said: "It is not a little singular that Worth...should take the lead in what is supposed to be a peculiarly French art". Le Temps , meanwhile, suggested that Worth was of so artistic a temperament that he found England unsuited to his temperament and taste, and so gravitated to Paris, the city of light and beauty, to make his name. This

6930-423: Was consecrated in 1684, when the surrounding area became St James Parish . By 1680, most of the original residential properties along Portugal Street had been demolished or built over. The name Piccadilly was applied to part of the street east of Swallow Street by 1673, and eventually became the de facto name for the entire length of Portugal Street. A plan of the area around St James Parish in 1720 describes

7020-563: Was designed by William Chambers for Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne and built between 1770 and 1774. It was converted to apartments in 1802, and is now the Albany . The house has been the residence for the British Prime Ministers William Ewart Gladstone and Edward Heath . St James's Hall was designed by Owen Jones and built between 1857 and 1858. Charles Dickens gave several readings of his novels in

7110-496: Was developing the lands; despite the claims of some distantly-related Bakers, he steadily built them up. Piccadilly was named Portugal Street in 1663 after Catherine of Braganza , wife of Charles II . Its importance to traffic increased after an earlier road from Charing Cross to Hyde Park Corner was closed to allow the creation of Green Park in 1668. After the restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, Charles II encouraged

7200-459: Was established at Nos. 203–206 Piccadilly by Alec Simpson in 1936. During the 20th century, Piccadilly became known as a place to acquire heroin , and was notorious in the 1960s as the centre of London's illegal drug trade . Today, it is regarded as one of London's principal shopping streets. Its landmarks include the Ritz, Park Lane , Athenaeum and Intercontinental hotels, Fortnum & Mason ,

7290-563: Was having such a success at Gagelin's that it was felt necessary to restrain his rashness". His obituary, written by a Paris correspondent for The Times explained this comment in somewhat more detail, saying that he was refused a share in the Gagelin business, even though he had extended its activities into making up, rather than just selling, garments. He had also helped build the company's international reputation by exhibiting prize-winning designs to both The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London and

7380-572: Was initially seen as too radical, even shocking, because it was at ankle length, but its practical benefits meant it was adopted over time. An 1885 example of the Worth 'walking dress' is held at the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Second Empire boomed, alongside Worth's brand, until 1870, when the Prussians invaded France . Worth closed his business for a year; he was able to reopen

7470-636: Was later destroyed. The Black Bear and White Bear (originally the Fleece) public houses were nearly opposite each other, although the former was demolished in about 1820. Also of note were the Hercules' Pillars, just west of Hamilton Place, the Triumphant Car, which was popular with soldiers, and the White Horse and Half Moon. The Bath Hotel emerged around 1790 and Walsingham House was built in 1887. The Bath and

7560-444: Was made and I was lost, for from that moment there were no more dresses at 300 francs each". Worth promptly replaced Madame Palmyre as the favorite designer and dressmaker of the Empress. Worth offered a new approach to the creation of couture dresses, offering a plethora of fabrics (some from his former employer Gagelin) and expertise in tailoring. Within a decade, his designs were recognized internationally and in high demand. By

7650-555: Was making his escape from the tunnel. The street is a square on the British Monopoly board, forming a set with Leicester Square and Coventry Street . When a European Union version of the game was produced in 1992, Piccadilly was one of three London streets selected, along with Oxford Street and Park Lane . In 1996, Latvian singer Laima Vaikule released an album titled Ya vyshla na Pikadilli ("I Went Out on Piccadilly"). In 2019, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare featured

7740-554: Was modelled on Ancient Egyptian architecture, particularly the Great Temple of Dendera (Tentyra). One author described it as "one of the strangest places Piccadilly ever knew". It was a venue for exhibitions by the Society of Painters in Water Colours and the Society of Female Artists during the 19th century. It contained numerous Egyptian antiquaries; at an auction in June 1822, two "imperfect" Sekhmet statues were sold for £380, and

7830-456: Was part of a Roman road , unlike Oxford Street further north. In the Middle Ages it was known as "the road to Reading " or "the way from Colnbrook ". During the Tudor period , relatively settled conditions made expansion beyond London's city walls a safer venture. Property speculation became a lucrative enterprise, and developments grew so rapidly that the threat of disease and disorder prompted

7920-448: Was popular with the gentry of London. Lord Dell lost £3,000 gambling at cards there in 1641. After Robert Baker's death in 1623 and the death of his eldest son Samuel shortly afterward, his widow and her father purchased the wardship of their surviving children; the death of the next eldest son, Robert in 1630 allowed them to effectively control the estate. Their only daughter died, and her widower Sir Henry Oxenden retained an interest in

8010-492: Was the first to replace the fashion dolls with live models in order to promote his garments to clients, and to sew branded labels into his clothing; almost all clients visited his salon for a consultation and fitting – thereby turning the House of Worth into a society meeting point. By the end of his career, his fashion house employed 1,200 people and its impact on fashion taste was far-reaching. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has said that his "aggressive self-promotion" earned him

8100-569: Was to the last a constant frequenter of the establishment". At the time of his death, he had both a house in the Champs-Élysées and a villa in Suresnes near the Bois de Boulogne . He was described as a "liberal contributor" to French charities and a keen collector of "artistic treasures and curiosities". There seems little doubt that Worth had amassed a fortune; an 1874 visitor to this villa (who called it

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