The designer is about to make history with Camilla’s coronation dress. He talks about growing up a Barnardo’s child, finding his way in fashion, and dressing Bianca Jagger, Charlotte Rampling and Princess Diana
It is the 50th anniversary of Bruce Oldfield’s couture business this year, and he marks it with one of his greatest accomplishments – even if it comes with a certain amount of awkwardness. News broke in February that Oldfield was designing Queen Camilla’s, dress for the coronation. Such a historic commission would be a crowning achievement for any designer. For someone from Oldfield’s background – pretty much the opposite end of the social spectrum from royalty – it is almost miraculous.
The awkwardness comes because the Camilla commission immediately triggers comparison with another of Oldfield’s royal patrons (and King Charles’s wives, for that matter): Diana, Princess of Wales. In their shared 1980s heyday, Diana was one of a number of high-profile women who helped make Oldfield’s name. And as with many of Oldfield’s clients, it seems, the two were also friends.
