Remnants of silks from the workrooms of the London couturier Digby Morton were used to create this patchwork waistcoat, worn by the couturier. Some of the patches are cut from fabric used to make a cocktail dress and coordinating coat for his wife Phyllis in about 1952. Morton stated in an interview that he sometimes had clothes made for himself in his workrooms during slack periods and it seems likely that the waistcoat was among these garments. He is also known to have worn a ‘house jacket’ made from an antique cashmere shawl with a silk velvet collar and cuffs.
Relatively few couture garments designed by Morton survive and and the majority are either tailored wool suits or evening clothes made in dark fabrics. However reports about Morton's work in his lifetime stress his use use of colour. The range of multi-coloured plain and patterned silks used to create this waistcoat provide material evidence of this.