Amies, Hardy

Sir Edwin Hardy Amies was born Edwin Amies in Maida Vale, London in 1909. In his teens, he adopted his mother's maiden name, Hardy - and always cited her as the inspiration for his chosen professional path. It was Amies' mother's contacts in the fashion world, and his flair for writing, that secured him his first job in fashion. It was his vivid description of a dress, written in a letter to a retired French seamstress, which brought Hardy to the attention of the owner of the Mayfair couture house Lachasse on Farm Street, Berkeley Square, as the wearer of the dress was the owner's wife. He became managing director at the age of 25, in 1934. In 1937, he scored his first success with a Linton tweed suit in sage green with a cerise overcheck called Panic. Panic was to be his debut into the fashion bible Vogue and was photographed by Cecil Beaton. By the late 1930s, Hardy was designing the entire Lachasse collection. He left Lachasse 1939 and joined the House of Worth in 1941. At the out break of World War II, with his language experience Amies was called up to serve in the Special Operations Executive. Posted to Belgium, Amies worked with the various Belgian resistance groups organising sabotage assignments. On 12 November 1945; Virginia, the Countess of Jersey (erstwhile Hollywood film star and the first Mrs. Cary Grant), who had been a former client during Hardy's days at Laschasse, financed Hardy Amies move to Savile Row. The following January, Amies established his own couture fashion house business: Hardy Amies Ltd. He produced costumes for many major motion pictures, but is best known for being a favorite designer of Queen Elizabeth