John Bates (designer) the Year and donated to the Fashion Museum, Bath, which in 2006 held a major retrospective show of his work. One of Bates' most influential champions was Marit Allen, the editor of British Vogue's Young Ideas spread, who considered Bates the true inventor of the miniskirt, rather than Mary Quant or André Courrèges. Ernestine Carter also observed Bates' originality, noting that the Paris fashion collections for 1967 contained many looks which Bates had done first. In 1965 Bates designed memorable outfits for Diana Rigg to wear for her role as Emma Peel in "The Avengers", including Op-Art mini-coats and accessories
Michael S. Smith (interior designer) Michael S. Smith (interior designer) Michael Sean Smith (born 1964) is an American interior designer based in Los Angeles. He has been the White House decorator since 2008 and is responsible for the 2010 makeover of the Oval Office. He currently lives in Madrid, Spain with his partner, United States Ambassador to Spain, James Costos. Michael Smith was born in 1964. He studied at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He started his career by working with the antiques dealer Gep Durenberger and with the New York