Lilley Langtry, 1853 - 1929, was a British socialite, actress and theatrical producer of international acclaim. She was the first socialite to appear on the stage and that alone made her a sensation. She had affairs with many important men of her time, including the future King Edward VII, Lord Shrewsbury and Prince Louis of Battenburg, father to Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. She also slept with many chaps who didn’t matter much at all. One of the men she knew intimately was an American horseman and millionaire. It was in this connection, in 1885, she went to my beloved Savile Row tailors, Poole & Co. Mrs Langtry’s only personal order there was for a black cloth riding habit and her remaining orders are recorded over twenty pages. They were for lavish liveries to dress her households and stables. In 1890, the ledger clerk recorded no orders could be executed without her written authority, but that American paid for the lot. As one discovers, me included, it’s easy to overspend at Poole. Funnily enough, Mrs Langtry has a connection to rock and roll which readers of a certain age may recognize.
© 2024 John Oliver
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