Digby Morton (1906–1983) was a highly influential Irish fashion designer and a leading figure in British couture from the 1930s to the 1950s. He is best known for his mastery of tailoring and for elegantly redefining the woman’s suit, transforming the traditional tweed suit into a sleek, modern, and fashionable urban garment.
Morton was a founding member of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers and played a key role during WWII by designing for the Utility Clothing Scheme. A pioneer of the modern industry, he quickly embraced ready-to-wear fashion and achieved significant success in the US market, where he was known as “Daring Digby.”
His masterful tailoring and early embrace of ready-to-wear cemented Digby Morton’s status not just as a couturier, but as a visionary who successfully steered British fashion into the modern age.
Barbara “Babe” Cushing Mortimer Paley wearing suit by Digby Morton, photo by Clifford Coffin, London, August 1946
Model in swallow-tailed, yellow tweed topcoat lined with plaid to match the suit underneath by Digby Morton, black velvet hat by R.M. Hats, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper’s Bazaar UK, March 1949
Barbara Goalen in dress and coat by Digby Morton, photo by John French, 1950
Model in a double-breasted tapered coat by Digby Morton, photo by Lee Miller for the Picture Post, “London Says Dress To Suit Yourself”, 1950
Shelagh Wilson in tweed suit with facings and collar of phantom beaver by Digby Morton, beaver hat by Rudolf, photo by Richard Dormer, Harper’s Bazaar UK, September 1950
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