Laura Freeman Laura Freeman

Worse for wear

He was proud to be the first costumier to make an outfit entirely from lamé – but his costumes, so sexy on the page, never look quite so good on

issue 18 November 2017

Erté was destined for the imperial navy. Failing that, the army. His father and uncle had been navy men. There were painters and sculptors on his mother’s side, but they were thought very frivolous. Romain de Tirtoff (‘Erté’ came from the French pronunciation of his initials) was born in 1892 at the St Petersburg Naval School where his father Pyotr was inspector.

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