My godmother Anne Gainsford, who has died aged 90, was a set designer and maker of costumes and hats for stage, film and television. To me, her crowning glory was making a top hat for Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1995). Anne was delighted that the actor wore the hat with panache, but was scathing about the anachronistic “wet shirt” scene.
Top of the toppers, Anne made 12 top hats for a production of Die Meistersinger at the Royal Danish Opera (1996), and toppers for (among others) Ralph Fiennes in Onegin (1999) and Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland (2004) – each meticulously researched to fit the historical date. She insisted on using period techniques and materials, sewing black on black even as her sight deteriorated.
