In Search of Debo
The Mitford sisters have long exercised a hold on the public’s imagination, now it’s the turn of fashion designer to royalty, Erdem Moralioğlu, to get in on the act with ‘Imaginary Conversations,’ a show based on the life and wardrobe of Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, (Debo) the youngest Mitford. In 1941 she married Andrew Cavendish, the 11th Duke of Devonshire. The Devonshires had resided at Chatsworth since its construction in 1549, but when the couple inherited it in the 1950s, Chatsworth had fallen into terrible disrepair. Debo was largely responsible for restoring the estate, gradually introducing successful commercial operations, run since 1981 by the Chatsworth House Trust. The Trust has a reputation for imaginative and unusual exhibitions, informed by ‘Stoker’ the 11th Duke’s passion for commissioning contemporary works. This new project comes under the auspices of the 12th Duke.
Image: Installation view of Imaginary Conversations: An ERDEM collection inspired by Duchess Deborah at Chatsworth, 2024, courtesy Chatsworth House Trust.
Erdem Moralioğlu, is no stranger to taking inspiration and kudos from historical, strong women. His autumn 2019 collection developed from his fascination with the Italian aristocrat, Principessa Orietta Pogson Doria Pamphilj, who had inherited a 1,000-room Roman Palazzo after the arrest of her antifascist father. His spring 2020 collection was inspired by the Italian silent-film-actor-turned-photographer-and-political-activist Tina Modotti (1896-1942) and in spring 2020 it was the turn of opera singer Maria Callas (1923-1977).
Image: ERDEM Spring Summer 2024 Show - Look 39. courtesy ERDEM.
Erdem’s fascination with Debo came via his interest in her aunt, Adele Astaire, sister of Fred and wife of Lord Charles Cavendish which resulted in his 2018 spring collection. Subsequently Erdem spent hours in the Chatsworth archives with Susie Stokoe, head of textiles examining not only Debo’s clothes and jewellery, but bed linen and curtain textiles. “I had long been fascinated by her story and found the archives at Chatsworth to be endlessly inspiring,” he explained, “There was always this seed that I was going to come back to create a collection about Debo…. In the process of creating it, it truly became an imaginary conversation between me and a muse I’d never met. What you see in the exhibition ‘Imaginary Conversations,’ is not an exact portrait of someone, but someone through a lens. …..I’m constantly looking for narratives that allow me to explore something forensically, but never has there been an opportunity to actually go to the muse’s home and create an exhibit with her objects.”
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Erdem Moralioğlu, is no stranger to taking inspiration and kudos from historical, strong women. His autumn 2019 collection developed from his fascination with the Italian aristocrat, Principessa Orietta Pogson Doria Pamphilj, who had inherited a 1,000-room Roman Palazzo after the arrest of her antifascist father. His spring 2020 collection was inspired by the Italian silent-film-actor-turned-photographer-and-political-activist Tina Modotti (1896-1942) and in spring 2020 it was the turn of opera singer Maria Callas (1923-1977).
Erdem’s fascination with Debo came via his interest in her aunt, Adele Astaire, sister of Fred and wife of Lord Charles Cavendish which resulted in his 2018 spring collection. Subsequently Erdem spent hours in the Chatsworth archives with Susie Stokoe, head of textiles examining not only Debo’s clothes and jewellery, but bed linen and curtain textiles. “I had long been fascinated by her story and found the archives at Chatsworth to be endlessly inspiring,” he explained, “There was always this seed that I was going to come back to create a collection about Debo…. In the process of creating it, it truly became an imaginary conversation between me and a muse I’d never met. What you see in the exhibition ‘Imaginary Conversations,’ is not an exact portrait of someone, but someone through a lens. …..I’m constantly looking for narratives that allow me to explore something forensically, but never has there been an opportunity to actually go to the muse’s home and create an exhibit with her objects.”
Want to read more of this article?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. We know our readership is passionate about textiles, so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories, and histories that fabric holds. Your support allows us to publish our magazine, and also ‘what's on’ information, and subscription interviews, reviews, and long-read articles in our online blog.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
OR...to continue reading….
*Magazine subscribers automatically get free access to all our online content. We send the access code by email with the publication of each issue. You will also find it on the envelope containing your magazine. Please note the access code changes every issue.*