born Oct. 13, 1825, Bourne, Lincolnshire, Eng.
died March 10, 1895, Paris, France
British-born French fashion designer.
In 1845 he left England, where he had been a bookkeeper, and worked in a Paris dress accessories shop. In 1858 he opened his own ladies' tailor shop and soon gained the patronage of the empress Eugénie . He was a pioneer of the "fashion show" (the preparation and showing of a collection), the first man to become prominent in the field of fashion, and the first designer to create dresses intended to be copied and distributed throughout the world. He became the dictator of Paris fashion and was especially noted for his elegant Second Empire gowns. He invented the bustle, which became standard in women's fashion in the 1870s and '80s.
Charles Frederick Worth, detail of an engraving
BBC Hulton Picture Library