This Fairytale Gown Showcases the Power of the United Kingdom’s Royal Designers — Diving Into the HCC Fashion Archive

Editors’ note: In the second installment of this PaperCity series, Houston Community College’s fashion program team experts explore the HCC fashion archive, one of the biggest fashion archives in the country and the second-largest archive in Texas. With more than 12,000 items in the archive, Houston Community College is one of the only schools in Texas that offers a fashion design and fashion merchandising program. From current top designers to everyday clothing made in the 1800s, the HCC fashion archive exemplifies the Bayou City’s eclectic culture and illuminates the historical importance of each piece.

In this story, we speak to HCC fashion archivist Denise Hulett, who spotlights United Kingdom designers Louise Hamlin-Wright and John Chapple’s 1980s gown, giving another glimpse at the history within the vibrant pieces of HCC’s fashion archive.

Denise Hulett: “As the relatively new archivist for the Houston Community College Fashion Archive, I am always uncovering new favorites in the collection. There is so much to choose from, but I am consistently drawn to the over-the-top evening gowns we have. I chose to showcase a one-of-a-kind 1980s pale aquamarine dupioni silk gown overlayed with tulle by Louise Hamlin-Wright and John Chapple.

“I call it the Fairytale gown because it looks like it came out of a fairytale. It even comes with a matching headpiece that could have been straight out of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.   

“Shortly after the dress was donated, I reached out to the designers Louise Hamlin-Wright and John Chapple, who are from England. After a bit of back and forth via email, I found out they are a married couple whose designs were featured in many bridal magazines and other fashion magazines, predominantly in the 1980s and 1990s.  

“Their one-of-a-kind designs were sought after by royalty and American oil tycoons. Louise shared that she and her husband silk-screened the border print around this gown by hand, and the tulle overlay was printed with their own classic spot design using crushed mother-of-pearl powder, a technique developed by John.   

“This gives the gown its iridescent shimmer of magic. Louise remembered stitching on the butterflies and crafting the headpiece. You can tell a lot of skill, love and imagination went into this dress. And it’s not only beautiful to look at but it also showcases avant-garde techniques for students to study.   

“Pamela Richards, who donated the gown, saw it in Harrods of London. She couldn’t stop thinking how unique it was and decided to have it shipped to Houston to wear to her husband’s birthday gala. I imagine she was the princess of the ball.”

To learn more about the HCC Fashion Archive and search items digitally, go here. The HCC Fashion Archive accepts donations. Contact Alex Chapman at alexander.chapman@hccs.edu and Denise Hulett at denise.hulett@hccs.edu to contribute to the collection.