Bellville Sassoon
Blacklands Terrace
London SW3 2ST
England
About
founded by
Belinda Bellville
about
BELLVILLE SASSOON LORCAN MULLANY occupies the enviable position of being one of the leading evening wear companies in Britain.
From their flagship store in Chelsea they provide sensational evening wear for their fashionable and high profile clientele.
After Belinda Bellville's retirement in 1981, David Sassoon took over the company and was joined by Lorcan Mullany (born 1953) in 1987. Mullany is the young designer who is taking Bellville Sassoon into the 21st century.
During the 60's and 70's the firm's name was synonymous with quality evening wear - especially ball gowns and cocktail dresses of chiffon, organdy and tulle - and wedding dresses.
In the 1970s emphasis on couture was dwindling and the company realized that in order to survive, the ready-to-wear line had to be built up. The decision proved correct as the firm's business grew immensely in America and was promoted with fashion shows across the U.S. and at trade fairs in London, Paris, New York, Munich, and Dusseldorf. Their agents had little problem building a strong and impressive client�le.
In the 21st century, Bellville Sassoon-Lorcan Mullany continues to clothe a discerning client�le, creating an annual ready-to-wear collection sold to the best of stores worldwide, including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nieman Marcus to name a few. Additionally, vintage designs remain popular Vogue patterns, available in sewing stores and at various international websites.
The Look
Sassoon identified the peak of his career as being the period between the late 1960s and 1970s when he believed the taste for high romanticism and fantasy clothes endorsed his style. Sassoon regrets that the British fashion press often flippantly discarded designers as no longer newsworthy, comparing this with the American press who always acknowledged good design.
By the mid-and late 1990s the company's clothes represented the top end of British occasion dressing, from sumptuous ballgowns to flirty cocktail dresses. Frills, sinuous draping, streamlined side splits, and plunging backs evoked memories of Hollywood in its glamorous heyday. Tulle, encrusted embroideries, taffetas, duchesse satin, mink, and double silk crepes were characteristic of the luxurious fabrics used. Unlike some eveningwear, the clothes were never gaudy or overstated; their success was reliant on a streamlined sense of style.
Who Wears It
Princess Diana, Shakira Caine, Blaine Trump, Faye Dunnaway, Princess of Wales, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the Countess von Bismarck, Ivana Trump, Madonna, Helen Mirren, Melanie Griffith, Anita Baker