Bruce Oldfield, one of the royal family’s favourite fashion designers, is celebrating his 70th birthday on Tuesday.
The British couture designer, who was one of Diana, Princess of Wales’ favoured designers, was brought up in foster care before he was adopted by a seamstress.
He went on to create luxury dresses for royals, as well as celebrities such as model Jerry Hall and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, in a career spanning 45 years.
Diana wore a glistening floor-length gown by Oldfield to a star-studded charity catwalk in aid of child care charity Barnardo’s, at the Grosvenor House Hotel in 1985.
She attended the event as president of the charity, along with celebrities including actress Joan Collins.
At another Barnardo’s event at the Grosvenor House Hotel in 1988, Oldfield is pictured with Diana wearing his off-the-shoulder crushed purple velvet gown.
Oldfield grew up under the care of Barnardo’s, received financial support from the charity in his teenage years, and is now vice president of the charity.
Oldfield’s designs have an enduring popularity with the royal family – the Duchess of Cornwall also occasionally wears his dresses.
Camilla attended the Bruce Oldfield Fashion Show, which raised money for the National Osteoporosis Society, in 2017, wearing his black knee-length gown.
She is pictured with Oldfield, and four models sporting his brightly coloured ballgowns, at Lancaster House in London.
Models show off two dresses from Bruce Oldfield’s 1975 Borghese Spring Collection.
Actress Joanna Lumley wore an intricate lilac shawl and dress by Oldfield to celebrate his 50th birthday and 25 years in the fashion industry at Mansion House in London.
Model and philanthropist Lady Getty also accompanied Oldfield to his star-studded birthday party in 2000.
Diana wore Oldfield’s veiled hat and knee-length white dress when she opened the World Travel Market at Olympia, London, in 1985.
The long-sleeved design featured a wrap-neck collar and breast pocket detail.
She also wore Oldfield’s designs in Rome with the Prince of Wales in 1985.
She is pictured with Charles wearing a black and white cotton suit during their Vatican tour.
Oldfield’s designs have hit the red carpet at the Oscars, including when former model Heather Mills wore a flower-patterned cutout dress by him in 2002.
She attended the 74th annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, alongside her then-partner and Beatles musician Sir Paul McCartney.
Oldfield designed the world’s most expensive abaya at the time – a long outer garment worn by some Muslim women – in 2008.
British electric violinist Linzi Stoppard modelled the £175,000 garment at the Intercontinental Hotel in central London.
The British designer also created McDonald’s staff uniforms in April 2008, which were neutral-toned.
This range of specialist workwear was to be rolled out to the 67,000 McDonald’s employees in Britain at the time, according to Vogue.
