Career
David worked for two seasons as an assistant to royal designer Hardy Amies at Savile Row and, aged 25, he launched his own fashion house, Emanuel, in 1977, working in partnership with his wife Elizabeth, with whom he had two children—Oliver and Eloise. They decided to close their ready–to–wear shop, in 1979, so that they could concentrate on the couture (custom made) side of the business, and became a favourite designer of Lady Diana Spencer before her marriage. In 1981, David and Elizabeth Emanuel were chosen to design the wedding dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales. The dress—seen by over 700 million people worldwide—was made of ivory silk, pure taffeta and antique lace, with 10,000 pearls and sequins, and had a 25 ft train. Of the dress, Lisa Marsh writes in the Fashion Encyclopedia that "Creations by artists from Botticelli to Renoir and Degas were used as influences, as were photographs of some of the more romantic women in history. The garments seen on Greta Garbo in Camille, Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, and Marlene Dietrich in The Scarlet Empress were all recreated to some degree." David continued to dress Diana, Princess of Wales after her wedding.
A copy of Diana, Princess of Wales wedding dress, made by Emanuel, sold at auction in 2005 for £100,000, twice the original estimate. There was some controversy surrounding the auction. The dress' owners, Madame Tussauds, said that it had been made "in case of any hiccup or disaster", and that it had been tried on by Lady Diana Spencer the morning of her wedding. David Emanuel was quoted by the Western Mail, saying "To say it is a direct replica is untrue. There is no such thing. We did not make one. Diana categorically never tried this dress on, on her wedding day or at any other time, and to my knowledge never even saw it. It wasn't even made to her exact measurements, and we, of course, are the only ones who would know that." The copy of Diana's dress had been given to Madame Tussauds after the wedding in 1981 and was placed on display.
David Emanuel has dressed some of the world's most beautiful women; Shirley Bassey; Shakira Caine; Joan Collins; Faye Dunaway; Lesley Garrett; Catherine Zeta-Jones; Patsy Kensit; Madonna; Jane Seymour; Elizabeth Taylor; Ivana Trump; and Sophie Ward. The Emanuels opened 'The Emanuel Shop' in Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge, London, in 1987 and sold collections at Harrods and Harvey Nichols in London, and at Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus in New York. Following his divorce from Elizabeth in 1990, David established the "David Emanuel Couture" label, offering his clients a personal service from his private suite at the Lanesborough Hotel in Knightsbridge, London.
While continuing to present Fashion TV's "Shop The World" programme and to design couture clothing, David Emanuel designed his first ready to wear bridal collection, for Berketex Brides, in 2008. He recently launched a collection for the UK women's clothing chain, Bonmarche. In July 2010 he was made a fellow of the University of Wales, Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) having previously studied for a Foundation diploma in the University's 'Cardiff School of Art and Design'.
Read more about this topic: David Emanuel (fashion Designer)
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