David Emanuel (born 17 November 1952) is a
Welsh fashion designer who is best known for designing, with his then-wife
Elizabeth Emanuel
Elizabeth Florence Emanuel (née Weiner, born 5 July 1953) is a British fashion designer who is best known for designing, with her former husband David Emanuel, the wedding dress worn by Lady Diana Spencer on her wedding to Prince Charles in ...
, the
wedding dress
A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo ...
worn by
Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1981.
He participated in the British reality television show ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' in 2013 and came runner-up to
Westlife
Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...
singer
Kian Egan
Kian John Francis Egan (born 29 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and musician, best known as a member of pop group Westlife. Westlife has released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous awards, becoming ...
.
He is currently Host and Creative Director of the
TLC flagship show ''
Say Yes to the Dress: UK''.
He has also hosted and Creatively Directed the spin off
TLC show ''Say Yes to the VEGAS Dress', which sees him in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
dealing with last minute brides and grooms.
Early years
Born and brought up in
Bridgend
Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...
in
Glamorgan,
South Wales. Speaking Welsh as his first language, Emanuel attended Porthcawl Secondary School where he excelled in music and art. He became head choir boy at his local church, sang in the County Youth Choir, played violin in the County Youth Orchestra and taught himself to play the cello. He was accepted by the
Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, but chose to study design at
Cardiff School of Art and Design (1972–75). He went on to study Fashion Design at
Harrow School of Art, London (1974–75), where he met
Elizabeth Weiner, whom he married in 1976. David and Elizabeth Emanuel studied design together at the
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...
, London (1976–77), the only married couple the College has accepted.
Career
Emanuel worked for two seasons as an assistant to royal designer
Hardy Amies
Sir Edwin Hardy Amies KCVO (17 July 1909 – 5 March 2003) was an English fashion designer, founder of the Hardy Amies label and a Royal Warrant holder as designer to the Queen.
Early life
Hardy Amies was born Edwin Amies on 17 July 1909 in ...
at
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
and, aged 25, he launched his own fashion house, Emanuel, in 1977, working in partnership with his wife Elizabeth, with whom he had two children—Oliver and Eloise. They decided to close their ready–to–wear shop in 1979, so that they could concentrate on the
couture
Couture may refer to:
People
* Couture (surname)
Places
Belgium
* Couture-Saint-Germain, a village in the municipality of Lasne, Belgium
Canada
* Couture crater and Lac Couture, an impact crater and the lake that covers it in Quebec, Canada
...
(custom made) side of the business, and became a favourite designer of Lady Diana Spencer before her marriage. In 1981, the Emanuels were chosen to design the wedding dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales. The dress—seen by over 700 million people worldwide—was made of ivory silk, pure taffeta and antique lace, with 10,000 pearls and sequins, and had a 25 ft train.
Of the dress, Lisa Marsh writes in the Fashion Encyclopedia that "Creations by artists from Botticelli to Renoir and Degas were used as influences, as were photographs of some of the more romantic women in history. The garments seen on Greta Garbo in Camille, Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind, and Marlene Dietrich in The Scarlet Empress were all recreated to some degree."
David continued to dress Diana, Princess of Wales after her wedding.
A copy of
Diana, Princess of Wales, wedding dress, made by Emanuel, sold at auction in 2005 for £100,000, twice the original estimate. There was some controversy surrounding the auction. The dress' owners,
Madame Tussauds, said that it had been made "in case of any hiccup or disaster", and that it had been tried on by Lady Diana Spencer the morning of her wedding. David Emanuel was quoted by the
Western Mail, saying "To say it is a direct replica is untrue. There is no such thing. We did not make one. Diana categorically never tried this dress on, on her wedding day or at any other time, and to my knowledge never even saw it. It wasn't even made to her exact measurements, and we, of course, are the only ones who would know that." The copy of Diana's dress had been given to Madame Tussauds after the wedding in 1981 and was placed on display.
Emanuel has dressed some of the world's most famous women;
Dame Shirley Bassey;
Shakira Caine;
Dame Joan Collins;
Faye Dunaway
Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France mad ...
;
Lesley Garrett
Lesley Garrett, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music".
Early life
Garrett was born in the town of Thorne, near Donc ...
;
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed C ...
;
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and was the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder in the 1980s.
Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Bir ...
;
Madonna;
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...
;
Dame Elizabeth Taylor;
Ivana Trump
Ivana Marie Trump (, ; February 20, 1949 – July 14, 2022) was a Czech-American businesswoman, media personality, socialite, fashion designer, author, and model. Ivana lived in Canada in the 1970s before relocating to the United States and m ...
; and
Sophie Ward.
The Emanuels opened 'The Emanuel Shop' in
Beauchamp Place
Beauchamp Place (pronounced "Beecham Place") is a fashionable shopping street in the Knightsbridge district of London. It was known as Grove Place until 1885.
It was once better known for its brothels and lodging houses, but since the Edwardia ...
,
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End.
Toponymy
Knightsbridge is an ancien ...
, London, in 1987 and sold collections at
Harrods and
Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury f ...
in London, and at
Henri Bendel,
Bergdorf Goodman
Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is a luxury department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son, Andrew Goodman.
...
and
Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...
in New York. Following his divorce from Elizabeth in 1990, Emanuel established the "David Emanuel Couture" label, offering his clients a personal service from his private suite at the
Lanesborough Hotel in Knightsbridge, London.
While continuing to present
Fashion TV
FashionTV is an international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting television channel. Founded in France in 1997, by its Polish-born president Michel Adam Lisowski, FashionTV is a widely distributed satellite channels in the world with 31 satelli ...
's "''Shop The World''" programme and to design couture clothing, Emanuel designed his first ready to wear bridal collection, for
Berketex Brides, in 2008. He recently launched a collection for the UK women's clothing chain,
Bonmarche.
In July 2010 he was made a fellow of the
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff
, image_name = Shield of Cardiff Metropolitan University.svg
, image_size = 150px
, motto = cy, Gorau Meddiant Gwybodaeth
, mottoeng = The most valuable possession is knowledge
, established = 2011 – Car ...
(UWIC), having previously studied for a Foundation diploma in the University's 'Cardiff School of Art and Design'.
Media
The 'Diana' dress was a defining moment in Emanuel's career. His profile soared and he became a household name. As well as allowing them to arrange licensing agreements for items such as perfume, linens and sunglasses, Emanuel's opinion on fashion and trends was often sought and he has been interviewed by the main journalists and talk show hosts in Britain and by some in the United States such as
Barbara Walters,
Jane Pauley
Margaret Jane Pauley (born October 31, 1950) is an American television host, and author, active in news reporting since 1972. Pauley first became widely known as Barbara Walters's successor on the NBC morning show ''Today'', beginning at the age ...
,
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own t ...
and
Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...
.
Emanuel became a television presenter, creating the
ABC Television character the ''Frock Doctor''—visiting the homes of members of the public to advise on, and restyle their
wardrobe
A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that separate accommo ...
.
HTV broadcast a 75-minute documentary profile (24 February 1994) of Emanuel in the series ''Slice of Life'' and in 1995, Emanuel produced and presented a ten-part fashion series for the same company, which established him as a television presenter and executive producer. He has appeared regularly as a fashion consultant on magazine programmes including the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''Shop The World'' which has run since 2003 and been syndicated across the United States and 39 other countries. Emanuel has hosted several other television style shows; ''The David Emanuel Fashion Show''; ''The Make-Over Show''; and ''The David Emanuel Ultimate Make-Over-Show''.
Cookery programmes marked a departure from fashion for Emanuel. He hosted the ''Out to Lunch'' series, where he cooked for celebrity guests, and ''Cooking with David Emanuel'', lunch at his home in
, Berkshire and ''Ladies who Lunch''—a chat show over lunch. He also writes a weekly 'Style' column in the Western Mail, the national newspaper of Wales.
( cy, Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru). As a guest of
, on ''The Peter Karrie Show'', David sang ''The Queen of Disguise'', before being interviewed with one of his clients, the actress Joan Collins.
invited Emanuel to be a guest at their 75th Anniversary Concert where he sang three songs in Welsh before an audience of four thousand people.
, Milan.
as 'The Snow Queen'—in "''Joy to the World''", the annual Christmas spectacular at The
, London.
before its West End opening.
, including designing her concert performances and her BBC2 show, ''Viva la Diva – A Night at the Opera with Lesley Garrett''. One of the dresses David designed for Lesley—red silk taffeta and crinoline—became the inspiration for her album Soprano in Red (1995).
As well as designing sets and costumes for ballet, film, concert, music videos, ad campaigns, theatre and television productions, Emanuel has completed commissions to design a complete range of uniforms and accessories for
flight attendant uniforms, in 1999.