Caroline Charles

Caroline Mary Charles OBE (born 18 May 1942) is a British fashion designer.

Caroline Charles
Born
Caroline Mary Charles

(1942-05-18) 18 May 1942
Cairo, Egypt
NationalityBritish
EducationSwindon Art School
OccupationFashion designer
TitleHead Designer and CEO
Children2
Caroline Charles store, Beauchamp Place, London
Caroline Charles store, Beauchamp Place, London

Early life and education

Caroline Mary Charles was born on 18 May 1942,[1][2] in Cairo, Egypt to British parents, Noel St. John Fairhurst and Helen T. Williams.[3][4] From a young age she was interested in fashion. She left school at sixteen and studied locally at Swindon Art School from 1958–60.[2]

Career

Charles did an apprenticeship at Michael Sherard's couture house, after which she worked with Mary Quant, and then worked for a year with the photographer Tony Rawlinson.[2]

She started her Caroline Charles label in 1963, aged 21.[5] Charles was one of the leading designers in the explosion of demand in the US during the 1960s for clothes from young British designers. She travelled widely with her Mod designs, visiting 36 cities and arranging fashion and pop shows, and appearing on television in the US and the UK,[6] including the 23 November 1964 episode of To Tell the Truth, in which she was the person whom the celebrity panelists were attempting to identify. Two of the four panelists correctly selected Charles.

Her customers have included Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, for both of whom she designed clothes,[6] Marianne Faithfull, Diana, Princess of Wales,[5] Cilla Black, Barbra Streisand,[2] Cherie Blair, Anne Robinson, Helena Kennedy and Lesley Garrett.[7] The actress Emma Thompson wore a green-beaded bodice and wide trousers by Caroline Charles, when receiving her Oscar for the 1992 film Howards End.[8]

According to The Guardian, "The beautiful classic cut, high standard of manufacture and quality fabrics are the foundations upon which the label was built".[8] Hilary Alexander, writing in The Daily Telegraph, called her "the thinking woman's designer".[5] Charles was awarded an OBE in June 2002.[2][6] In 2012, her memoirs, Caroline Charles – 50 years in fashion were published.[8]

As of 2017, the Caroline Charles label has stores in London, Cheltenham, Tunbridge Wells, Wilmslow and Exeter.[9]

Personal life

Charles lives in Knightsbridge, London.[3] She was married to environmentalist Malcolm Valentine from 1960[7] until his death in 2016.[10] They had a son and a daughter.[3]

References
  1. "CAROLINE CHARLES LIMITED - Officers (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  2. "Caroline Charles (1942–), fashion designer". National Portrait Gallery, London. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  3. Wolff, Isabel (6 August 1995). "How we met: Caroline Charles and Gayle Hunnicut". The Independent. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  4. The International Who's Who 2004. Psychology Press. 2003. p. 301. ISBN 9781857432176.
  5. Pithers, Ellie (16 February 2013). "The world of Caroline Charles". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  6. "Caroline Charles". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  7. Alexander, Hilar (15 June 2002). "OBE for 'thinking woman's designer'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  8. "Caroline Charles: 50 years of exceptional style – the Vintage Years". The Guardian. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  9. "Store Locations". Carolinecharles.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  10. "Malcolm Valentine Obituary". The Times. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
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