O Captain! my Captain!

Captain Edward Molyneux (1891-1974)

One cannot mention HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (pictured below) without mentioning Captain Edward Molyneux. It was he who was entrusted with the Princess's bridal trousseau, despite protestations from the royal household. 

...the designer to whom a fashionable woman would turn if she wanted to be absolutely 'right' without being utterly predictable in the 1920s and 1930s. - Caroline Milbank, Couture: The Great Designers (1985)

Molyneux  trained with Lucille, Lady Duff Gordon before serving as an infantry captain in the First World War. After the war, he moved to Paris and opened his first maison de couture in 1919. He quickly established a reputation for refined and modern clothes (mostly in black, navy blue, beige, and grey) that were sure of line.

Aside from royalty and the aristocracy, Molyneux also counted the likes of  Greta Garbo, Gertrude Lawrence, Margaret Leighton,  Vivien Leigh and Syrie Maugham amongst his clientele.

Amongst those who would begin their careers with Molyneux were Pierre Balmain, John Cavanagh and Marc Bohan.

 A Molyneux shallow crown straw hat with silk satin trim, 1938.

Silk lounging pajamas with gold thread embroidery, 1932

Evening jacket, 1926

Midsummer Madness evening ensemble, 1937

Wool coat and skirt, 1938

Wool coat, 1933-35

Silk evening dress, 1950-51

All images from The Costume Institute

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