Reed Crawford
| Reed Crawford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
John Reed-Crawford 1924 UK |
| Died | 4 March 2006 Suffolk |
| Occupation | Milliner |
| Notable credit(s) | Dress of the Year, 1963 |
Reed Crawford (born John Reed-Crawford) was a British milliner of the 1950s and 1960s. He produced a series of high-fashion designs that matched the Swinging London mood of the 1960s, including helmet-style cloche hats and designs in unusual material combinations, such as plastic and fur. He became especially associated with couture, working with the designer John Cavanagh from 1959 and joining the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers as an associate member from 1961.
One of Reed Crawford's designs was chosen as part of the first Dress of the Year ensemble in 1963.
Reed Crawford was interested in hats from childhood and, after military service, he attended Liverpool College of Art; later, he moved on to Royal College of Art to study fashion. After graduating, he joined the milliner Miss Hammond, who was based in Brook Street, Mayfair. From there, he moved on to work with Rose Vernier, a prestigious milliner whose clients included Princess Marina. In 1954, he set up his own hatmaking business.
Reed Crawford joined the couturier and Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (IncSoc) member John Cavanagh in July 1959 and his designs soon attracted coverage in the fashion press. Writing in The Guardian about the autumn fashion shows, Belle Lawrie described: "the fantastic impact of Reed Crawford's tall hats (this milliner has been with Cavanagh for but the past ten days)". In The Times these new models were described as: "high, narrow, domed hats...rather reminiscent of the early twenties". Reed Crawford's high helmet-like cloche hats for John Cavanagh continued in 1960, but they were also joined by similarly high-line designs in pleated tulle. In 1961 John Cavanagh was chosen to design the dress for the wedding of Katharine Worsley to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and, along with fellow Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers members Angele Delanghe and Hardy Amies, Cavanagh provided a preview in The Times of three designs to be worn by guests at the wedding. Cavanagh's outfit, a suit with pleated skirt and long jacket, was accessorised with a small white petal hat created by Reed Crawford. In 1961 Reed Crawford was elected as an associate member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers (IncSoc) – a category reserved for accessories designers – one of only four milliners within IncSoc at this point.
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