Maureen Doherty Obituary, Death – Kinnerton Street in Belgravia, which is located in the center of London, was originally constructed as a mews for the purpose of providing service to stately mansions. Upstairs, there were stables for horses and poky quarters for servants. In spite of the fact that the low rows have been converted into very desirable residences for the past century, some of the original facades of the buildings on this street have been preserved. These original facades feature wooden doors that are large enough for carriages and that open directly onto the pavement-free road.
In 1994, Maureen Doherty, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 70, selected one of them, number 36, a former dairy depot, the walls inside of which were coated with blue tiles, as the location for her shop Egg — spelled without a capital letter for the reasons of design and trading. It appeared more like an art gallery, and its garments were expensive, long-lasting, and generously unconcerned with the wearer’s body shape. Doherty later opened an actual art gallery along the street.
Doherty explained that she started designing clothes and selling them at Egg because she could no longer stand attending fashion shows with their “perfume that smells of accountants and exclusivity deals.” Her collections did not have any labels attached to them, and they were made of natural fabrics that were abundantly cut into clothes that could be layered. She also marketed authentic workwear, such as a Smithfield butcher’s smock or a French gardener’s jacket, long before that style of clothing became popular in the fashion industry. In addition, she promoted the designs of undiscovered, frequently younger designers.
Her clients included artistic luminaries such as Tilda Swinton, Emma Thompson, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, and Donna Karan, as well as other influential figures such as Theresa May, who modeled an Egg coat for the American issue of Vogue. Doherty also outfitted her friend Maggie Smith for her part in the film The Lady in the Van, which was directed by Alan Bennett (2015).