Fratini
Gina (1931). Pseudonym of Georgina Carolina Butler, a British designer born in Kobe, Japan of English parents. She spent her childhood in Canada, Myanmar, and India. She was educated in England and studied fashion under Madge Garland at the Royal College of Art from 1950 to 1953. She spent two years as a costume designer for the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, after which she worked as a freelance designer and costume maker. In 1964, she launcheed her own line. Influenced by her nomadic life and by the hippie trends of the moment, she offered a fashion that was ethnic in its cut and proportions. Over the years, she developed a more and more romantic style with reminiscenses of the past. In 1971, at the peak of her success, she was chosen by Princess Ann (on the suggestion of the court photographer Norman Parkinson) to design the dress for her 21st birthday. She thus developed a network of very high class clients, including Princess Diana, who she continued to dress even after closing her business. She returned to being a consultant, designing, among other things, collections for Norman Hartnell and underwear with Ossie Clark.