Coat

This woman's 'New Look' ribbed wool coat was designed by Hardy Amies for spring/summer 1949. The tailored London version of Christian Dior's New Look, which was launched in 1947, had noticeably wider and squarer shoulders and a less constricted waist, making it characteristically more practical than Paris-made garments in this style.

When Hardy Amies was asked to comment on the coat in 1972 he wrote, 'the coat of course shows the impact of the New Look on British tailoring. The marriage between the two was not entirely satisfactory.' The coat was custom-made for its wearer.

Hardy Amies set up his own fashion house at 14 Savile Row in 1945. In 1950, he received his first order from the future Queen Elizabeth II, and in 1955, he successfully applied for a royal warrant, which he held until his death in 2003.