GINA FRATINI

Gina Fratini was a hugely respected British fashion designer working from 1964 - 1989. She was born in Japan and raised in India and came to England to design, going on to become one of the top British designers of the early 1970s. Her pieces have ended up in the Victoria & Albert Museum as classic examples of great British design from that period.  Famous celebrities often chose designs by Gina Fratini including Elizabeth Taylor who wore a stunning tie dye Fratini dress for her second wedding to Richard Burton. Princess Diana also favoured Gina Fratini styles for a number of her high profile events. Ahead of her time, Fratini favoured natural fabrics such as cotton and silk and become synonymous with long "fantasy"-style dresses with lashings of detail. Officially closing her studio in 1989, she continued to work for important individual clients such as the Princess of Wales. Diana wore one of her designs for a 1990 official portrait by Terence Donovan.