Norman Hartnell used to refer to his competitor Hardy Amies as Hardly Amiable, according to Michael Pick, guest curator on Hartnell to Amies Couture By Royal Appointment, the exhibition that opens on November 16th at the Fashion and Textile Museum.
The exhibition explores how the Queens patronage of these British designers helped to establish London as an international fashion centre after the Second World War. Hartnell, who opened his couture house in 1923, famously designed the Queens wedding dress in 1947 and Coronation dress of 1953.
Take a look at some of the pairs iconic designs...
For a more modern take on Royal sartorialism, click here for Kate Middleton's best looks
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Norman Hartnell in profile, 1953.
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Della Oake wearing a Norman Hartnell gown in Clytha Park, 1951.
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A model wearing a Norman Hartnell dress, the Cotswolds, 1942.
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Norman Hartnell poses with three models in 1953.
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Norman Hartnell standing behind two of his creations, 1953.
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Wenda Parkinson wearing a Norman Hartnell gown, 1950.
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Julia Clarke, Fiona Campbell Walter and Hardy Amies in 1953.
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Hardy Amies and Fiona Campbell Walter in 1953.
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Enid Boulting wearing a Hardy Amies suit in 1954.
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Fiona Campbell Walter wearing a Hardy Amies gown in 1953.
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'New Look at the National Gallery', Wenda Parkinson and Barbara Goalen in Hardy Amies and Molyneux, 1949.
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Pagan Grigg wearing a Hardy Amies dress, Southampton, 1957.
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Wenda Parkinson in a Hardy Amies coat, 1949.
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Wenda Parkinson wearing a Hardy Amies suit, near Rotten Row, Hyde Park Corner, 1951.
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Wenda Parkinson wearing a Hardy Amies dress, 1951.