Christopher McDonnell
| Christopher McDonnell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 |
| Occupation | Fashion designer; fashion journalist and academic |
Christopher McDonnell is a British fashion designer who operated in the UK between the 1960s and 1980s. In the US, he was known under his own name, and in the UK he operated under the brand name Marrian-McDonnell before switching to an eponymous label in 1973.
Establishing a niche for sophisticated clothes in choice fabrics with a French approach to tailoring and style, McDonnell's designs were described by Angela Neustatter in 1973 as having a classic quality that set him apart from many of his contemporaries: "Christopher's clothes are not for the so-called 'beautiful' people; they are for people who just want to look beautiful – and there is a difference. We are all tired of fashion revolutions."
Christopher McDonnell studied architecture before moving on to a fashion degree at the Royal College of Art under Janey Ironside. His first job after graduating was with the magazine Queen, then owned by Jocelyn Stevens, working on the fashion team led by Lady Clare Rendlesham.
In 1967, McDonnell established his fashion business close to Sloane Square with two friends Peter and Mary-Anne Marrian acting as business partners. His first collection was attended by a London correspondent of American fashion trade magazine Women's Wear Daily (WWD), who returned the next day with colleagues from New York. This resulted in a double-page spread in WWD and a tie-in with Saks Fifth Avenue, which made McDonnell's name more familiar in the US than the UK in the early days. The company he'd co-founded was known as Marrian-McDonnell initially to reflect the business partnership, while in the US the brand was always known as Christopher McDonnell.
In 1970, as part of the short-lived London Designer Collections (a successor to the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers), McDonnell showcased his work in a fashion show alongside designs by, among others, Mary Quant, Ossie Clark, Alice Pollock, Thea Porter, Gina Fratini and Caroline Charles. In 1971, he was among eleven UK fashion designers chosen for an exhibition showcasing British talent at The Louvre – at the invitation of the director of Musée des Arts Décoratifs – entitled L'Idee de la Forme. Other designers included Barbara Hulanicki, Bill Gibb, Jean Muir and Beatrice Bellini for Women's Home Industries – McDonnell chose to show an outfit comprising tweed tunic, tapestry-patterned sweater, blouson short pants with leggings and long doeskin cape.
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