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. He was also among the pioneers of ready-to-wear fashions in the 1950s. Successful on both sides of the Atlantic, he redefined women's suits and tailoring, earned himself the moniker 'Daring Digby' for his US fashion venture and helped to establish the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, an early forerunner of the British Fashion Council.

His contemporary Hardy Amies said of Morton: "[His] philosophy was to transform the suit from the strict tailleur, or the ordinary country tweed suit with its straight up and down lines, uncompromising and fit only for the moors, into an intricately cut and carefully designed garment that was so fashionable that it could be worn with confidence at the Ritz".

Background and early career Henry Digby Morton was born in Dublin, the son and grandson of accountants for the Guinness brewing organisation. But he also responded to the wartime need for well designed and affordable clothing. As a founder member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (IncSoc), he was among those invited by the Board of Trade to design for wartime, respecting the strict guidelines of rationing and utility. His contributions included designing outfits for the WRVS.

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. Showcasing the work of couturiers was seen as a way to convince other manufacturers and the general public of the fashion value of utility designs.

American and ready-to-wear ventures After the war, Morton re-opened his couture house, but already recognised that ready-to-wear would be the future of fashion. It was this period of his career when he gained greatest acclaim. In 1953, US manufacturer Hathaway asked Morton to describe a women's range. He copied men's shirts, tailored and adjusted for the female form and made in bright colours with contrasting bowties. The success of this innovation landed him the Time magazine epithet: 'Daring Digby'.