Fed by Birds

I never knew there was any link between the Mad Monk and bugle-beaded evening dresses, but Le Style Sauvage has dug up the fascinating story of Prince Felix Yusupov, one of the assassins of Rasputin, who after the murder fled Russia with his wife, Princess Irina Romanova, niece of the tsar, and set up a fashion house, Irfé, in America. It was a big hit, partly for their elegant designs and because twenties America was thrilled at the idea of having its dresses made by a murderous foreign aristocrat. Sadly few of their designs survive; the dress above is at the Brighton and Hove Museum, which seems to have a pretty good collection of early fashion.