Letter: Britons in Paris

Sir: The two British designers currently taking the Paris couture world by storm are not the first in this field. Born in Lincolnshire in the mid-1850s, Frederick Worth, a successful dressmaker in London, tried his luck in Paris and became an instant success with some of the greatest beauties in the land.

Many of the fabulous dresses worn by the Empress Eugenie and her ladies in paintings by Winterhalter are by Worth, and it is said that he invented - or at least popularised - the crinoline. The House of Worth continued to flourish both in Paris and in London for over 100 years, and is still remembered today in the scent "Je Reviens".

SARA DICK-READ

Winchester