Notebooks containing Princess Margaret’s measurements taken during dress fittings are going under the hammer.
The undated measurements were recorded for haute couture design house Norman Hartnell.
They are being sold by a former assistant to Margaret Mayo, the woman who conducted the fittings for the Queen’s younger sister.
When Mayo died in the early 2000s, she left her former assistant a suitcase that contained designs and notebooks.
“Despite the long hours and low wage, I enjoyed the role and the labour of love that went into the garments,” the former assistant, who is not being named, said.
“The skills I learnt have stayed with me my whole life. To this day I still wear a tailoring thimble to sew, which back then had to be worn at all times.”
Hartnell (1901-79) was a fashion designer who was best known for his work with the royal family.
The two notebooks, which also contain measurements of several members of the aristocracy, are being sold with a £90 guide price. Also included in the Objects Of Desire sale at Sworders, in Essex, on October 18, are five colour sketches of designs for the Queen Mother.
