Lynda Rowland is an author and journalist specialising in fashion and 20th century British history. She recently published a biography of Sir Hardy Amies which came out in October 2023.
To contact Lynda regarding press or speaking opportunities please use the link below.
Author’s Background
Lynda is a freelance writer and first time author at 65 years old. She began her career as a journalist on local newspapers in London, sub-editing and producing features on women’s issues, theatre, film and television. Her work has recently been focused on vintage and sustainable fashion. Lynda’s interest in the arts, crafts and twentieth century popular culture is encapsulated in her growing collection of fashion books, vintage clothing and memorabilia.
Published Work
From SOE Hero to Dressing the Queen - The Amazing Life of Sir Hardy Amies
October 2023
Sir Hardy Amies was one of Britain’s foremost fashion designers who led a fascinating double life as a couturier and an intelligence officer during the Second World War. His work for the Belgian resistance effort as part of the Special Operations Executive was so significant that he was awarded l’Ordre de la Couronne, or Order of the Crown, by the Belgian Government in 1948. As a gay man he was thrust into what was then an overtly macho and potentially hostile environment and, against that backdrop, made a valuable and courageous contribution to the war effort.
Having been born into what we would consider a lower middle-class family, he was handsome, cultured and gregarious and effortlessly traversed the post-war world of high society, launching his haute couture house to great acclaim and gaining clients from film stars to royalty. His work for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II saw him awarded the KCVO, Knight Commander of the Victorian Order, in 1989.