When the business opened, Peter Russell – who had by now also lost his client Ruth Vincent to Norman Hartnell because of his temper – is said to have remarked that Sherard was: "the wrong side of Edgware Road".

[2] Although Sherard's salon was not in the best London location, his charm and attention to detail soon drew prestigious clients, including Margot Fonteyn, Margaret Lockwood, Phyllis Calvert and Gladys Cooper.

[2] His business had support from other members of the family, with his sister-in-law – referred to in a newspaper article simply as "Mrs Sherrard", the wife of his brother Peter – acting as his chief assistant, taking charge of the label's publicity and providing advice on collections.

[5] By 1952, Sherard had accrued enough funds and reputation to move to a new salon in Curzon Street, Mayfair and he also lived in nearby Albany for two years, sharing a grand apartment at a stellar London address with Fraser and two dachshunds Hansel and Humperdinck; it was the location of many parties.

[2] Throughout the 1950s and early '60s, he developed variations on these themes, such as a black lace and taffeta flamenco-style cocktail dress that is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) archive and featured in its 2007 exhibition The Golden Age of Couture.

[2] In common with other London couturiers, he found business increasingly difficult in the 1960s because of high production costs and the emergence of a new breed of youth-focused ready-to-wear designers.

[9] Caroline Charles was among Sherard's assistants in the 1960s, subsequently moving on to Mary Quant before launching her own couture label that dressed both rock stars and royalty.