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Coat thumbnail 2
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Coat

1928 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Liberty's - a trendsetting fashion store in Regent Street, London - opened their dress department in 1884 under the guidance of the designer and former architect E. W. Godwin (1833-1886), a crusader for dress reform.

This coat was especially designed and made for Marian Hazel Lasenby for her wedding to William Moorcroft in 1928. Mrs Moorcroft recalled that the coat was made so that she could wear it with either side out. The block-printed design of the silk fabric first appeared in about 1912 and was constantly re-issued - most recently in the 1970s.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woollen face cloth lined with printed silk satin
Brief description
Coat of woollen face cloth lined with printed silk satin, made for Liberty & Co., London, 1928
Physical description
Mid-blue woollen coat. The coat sleeves flare from seams below the elbows. At the front it are long-waisted and bias-cut panels that flare from the hip whereas the back is cut straight and is in one panel. The coat fastens on the left hand side with two self-covered buttons, one at the neck, the other at the low waist. It has a half collar with attached scarf ties. The coat's printed silk satin lining matches the dress, T.71A-1982, and printed with a geometric pattern.
Dimensions
  • Length: 107cm
  • Width: 100cm (maximum)
  • Sleeve length: 58cm
Dimensions taken by Conservation for Wedding Dress mounting, 2009
Gallery label
(2011)
Printed satin dress with coat and hat
Liberty & Co. Ltd
London
1928

Marian Lasenby decided not to wear white when she married the potter William Moorcroft in 1928. Her husband was a widower and 27 years her senior. Instead she ordered a dress with a hat and matching reversible coat from Liberty's. She was related to the Lasenby Liberty family who owned the popular department store.

Dress: block-printed silk satin
Coat: wool lined with block-printed silk satin
Hat: wool trimmed with ostrich feathers
V&A: T.71 to B-1982
Object history
This outfit was especially designed and made by Liberty's for Marian Hazel Lasenby to wear for her marriage in 1928 to the potter William Moorcroft (1872-1945). It was William Moorcroft's second marriage.
Summary
Liberty's - a trendsetting fashion store in Regent Street, London - opened their dress department in 1884 under the guidance of the designer and former architect E. W. Godwin (1833-1886), a crusader for dress reform.

This coat was especially designed and made for Marian Hazel Lasenby for her wedding to William Moorcroft in 1928. Mrs Moorcroft recalled that the coat was made so that she could wear it with either side out. The block-printed design of the silk fabric first appeared in about 1912 and was constantly re-issued - most recently in the 1970s.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Liberty's, 1875-1975: an exhibition to mark the firm's centenary July-October 1975, London, V&A, 1975
Collection
Accession number
T.71-1982

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
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