Charles and Patricia Lester

Charles and Patricia Lester, MBE are couture fashion and textile designers. They have been hand painting, designing and creating couture ladies gowns and interior design fabrics for over 50 years. Their creations can be seen in a variety of museums around the world including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Ohio State University – Wexner Centre, Phoenix Art Museum and Houston Museum of Fine Arts. As recognition of their work Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall came to visit their Studio in 2015.
They have worked on many film, television and opera projects with their individual designs taking a starring role. They have also personally been worn by some of the worlds best known celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, HRH the Duchess of Kent and the late great Elizabeth Taylor.

Awards

The following awards have recognised Charles and Patricia’s achievement in fashion and social awareness:
1988 M.B.E Queen’s Award to Patricia for her contribution to textile and fashion design.
2012 Honorary Fellowships University of Wales, Newport individually awarded to Charles and Patricia.
Welsh Business Woman of the year awarded to Patricia.
Fit for Work National award in recognition of the company’s commitment to employing less able bodied awarded to Charles and Patricia.

Books

“Vogue”: Twentieth Century Fashion by Linda Watson

The Fashion Book : The Fashion Book by Phaidon

The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion, 1947-1997 by Amy de la Haye
Guinness 2000 Book of Records: Millennium Edition (Guinness World Records) by Guinness Media Inc.

Major Fashion Shows

1985 London Fashion Week
1986 London Fashion Week – Princess Michael Guest of Honour
Carlo Tivioli – Ice rink show in Italy

Exhibitions and Events

Exhibitions – fashion and art International Silk Convention – Liberty of London
Bergdorf Goodman – New York – throughout the store (interior and fashion)
Gallerie Aolia – 10 Rue de Seine, Paris
Tomichio – Tokyo – Japan
Fortuny Exhibition – Milan
Leighton House Museum – centenary of death of Lord Leighton – together with all windows in Liberty’s – set in Studio and throughout House.
Leighton House Art Gallery and Museum – art exhibition in gallery and throughout the museum celebrating Charles and Patricia Lester art “A Textile Experience”
National Eisteddfod – various in Wales
British Embassy – Muskat – Oman – series of fashion shows and exhibition
Welsh Design Exhibition – Japan
Vidal Sassoon exhibition – Paris

 

Past Stockists

CANADA
Hugo Nicholson – Montreal, Toronto
Milli – Ontario
Holt Renfrew

DENMARK
Sophie

GERMANY
Daisy – Munich
E Braun – Munich
Klamotte – Frankfurt
Sio Dam – Frankfurt

HONG KONG
Joyce

FRANCE
Joseph – Paris

ITALY
Corso Como – Milan
Galassia – Rome
Il Raro – Milan
Raffaela Curiel – Milan

JAPAN
Arte Lavoro
Isetan Company Ltd

KOREA
Bu-rae Dang

KUWAIT
Al Ostoura – Kuwait

RUSSIA
Three fat men – Tri Tolstyaka

UK

Emma Plus – Brighton
Emma Somerset – London and other major cities
Fortnum and Mason – London
Jenners – Edinburgh
Julie Fitzmaurice – Harrogate
Liberty – London
Harrods – London
Lucienne Phillips – London
Charles & Patricia Lester – London
Smiths of Bath
Ballroom – Cheltenham
Veronica – Duke’s Lane Brighton.

USA

Augustina – California
Bergdorf Goodman – New York
Capriccio – Scottsdale, Arizona and La Jolla California
Dreamweaver Collection – Massachusetts
Helen’s of Course – Beaverton, Bellevue, Seattle
Mary Jane Denzer – White Plains, New York
Neiman Marcus – Dallas and other major cities
Sophy Curson – Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale
Stampede – New Mexico
Stanley Korshak – Dallas
The Rafaels – California
The Zentner Collection – California
Village Set – Illinois
Wilkes Bashford – San Francisco, Silicon Valley
Forgotten Woman
Henri Bendel – New York
Lord and Taylor – New York
Sakowitz
Barney’s – New York
Saks Fifth Avenue – New York
Takashimaya – New York
Nordstrom
Macy’s
Janet Brown
Linda Dresner – New York and Chicago
24 Collection – Miami
Lisa Todd – Fort Lauderdale
Gallery of Wearable Art – New York
L.S.Ayres
Magnim
Maxfield – Los Angeles
Obiko – San Francisco
Lou Lattimer – Dallas

 

References

Victoria & Albert Museum – Fashion in Motion
Shrimpton Couture
Royal Visit
BBC Casualty
I Am Woman