Phyllis Dalton

A Career in Costume: ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ to ‘The Princess Bride’

Discover how a chance encounter in a bookshop led to an enduring friendship and a ten-year-in-the-making landmark book on film costume.

Illustrated with a generous selection of images, Alexander Ballinger tells the story of Phyllis Dalton MBE (1925-2025), one of the most celebrated film costume designers of the 20th century. Expect to be entertained by recollections, insights and revelations from epic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Oliver! to Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and cult classics The Princess Bride and A Private Function,  starring Maggie Smith and Michael Palin.

Alexander Ballinger is an expert on writing about cinema. He was series editor of Longman’s Inside Film and On Directors, wrote the acclaimed New Cinematographers, based on interviews with six of the world’s top directors of photography, and co-authored Penguin’s The Rough Guide to Film Noir. Alexander’s day job is managing Bailey Hill Bookshop in Castle Cary whereas his “other” job for nearly a decade was writing Phyllis Dalton: A Career in Costume. His book is the result of a decade of exclusive interviews with the double Oscar-winning film costume designer.

Entrance: £10 which includes a glass of wine

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