Bernadette at Bergdorf

In 1989, with two shops and two babies (well, pregnant with my second son), I arrived in New York determined to sell my collection to Bergdorf Goodman. Directed initially to contact the stores’ buying office in London, I pursuaded the receptionist to secure an appointment with anyone just to get access to the buyers’ offices.

Stepping into the gilded lift, I was joined by a tall elegant woman. Admiring the two travel bags in my signature rabbit tapestry and discovering the mission, I was whisked into the buying offices to receive the first of many orders over the following years.

The elegant, sophisticated woman was Dawn Mello, president of Bergdorf Goodman. Later in 1989, Ms. Mello was hired by Gucci as designer and vice-president of the failing fashion house. In 1990, after reducing stores and streamlining the range, she hired a young designer, Tom Ford. And the rest is history.

Ridley Scott’s ‘House of Gucci’ omits Dawn Mello’s part in Gucci’s transformation. Artistic licence, but it seems a pity to leave out a vital piece of brilliance which was Dawn Mello.