Digby Morton

Henry Digby Morton (1906–1983) was an Irish fashion designer and among the leading names of British couture in the period from 1930-50.

[2][4] Working first at Selfridges and Liberty, he then moved on to the fashion store Jay's as a sketch artist recreating Paris designs to appeal to London customers.

[4] Lachasse specialised in sportswear – a key 1920s trend – and Morton created a debut collection featuring Donegal tweed in what were then radical colour combinations such as bright greens and pale blues blended with traditional browns.

[2] This updated hitherto 'stuffy' country tweeds into smart town clothing, especially as Morton also streamlined the cut and tailoring to make the suits more fitted and fashionable.

[9] Morton – along with other members of IncSoc – also designed costumes for a number of British films, including the wartime production Ships with Wings and post-war movies Maytime in Mayfair and The Astonished Heart.

He copied men's shirts, tailored and adjusted for the female form and made in bright colours with contrasting bowties.

Here he was able to produce a range of casual "easy-care" clothing, taking advantage of the firm's recently-developed Trevira wash-and-wear fibre, and used the same skill he'd displayed on women's suiting to break conventions.

Digby Morton checked jacket and dress ensemble from 1948-9, part of the Victoria and Albert Museum archive