A fashion designer worn by royals has £70,000 worth of couture clothes stolen by armed robbers in Belgravia

A fashion designer loved by the royals is asking for help locating £70,000 of couture clothes stolen from her car by armed and masked men.

Claire Mischevani – whose creations have been worn by Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall and Lady Gabriella Windsor – lost 62 pieces in the February 16 raid.

She and an assistant were loading a Range Rover in Chester Row, Belgravia, around 8pm and had gone back to a property to collect more items when a trio of robbers struck.

They were all dressed in black and wearing balaclavas and smashed one of the car’s windows to get at the goods inside.

Ms Mischevani heard a car alarm go off and rushed back outside to be confronted by the men, who threatened her with the undefined police object used to smash the car’s windows.

Claire Mischevani founded her fashion business in Shrewsbury, Shropshire but has a showroom on Chester Road, London

Police are appealing for information on the missing items, including this pastel colored dress

Fearing for their safety, the victims ran inside, locked the door and immediately called the police.

Watching the unfolding incident from a top-floor window, they watched the suspects smash other windows of the car before stealing a navy blue suitcase, a black holdall and 15 garment bags of various sizes.

A total of 62 pieces were taken, including dresses and coats. They were used in a fashion shoot.

The total value of the stolen property was around £70,000.

The garment bags are marked ‘Claire Mischevani Bridal Couture’ and each garment has a label reading ‘Claire Mischevani Couture’ with ‘Handmade in England’ and ‘Creating heirlooms of the future’ on the back.

After the incident, the suspects drove off towards Eaton Terrace in a black Volkswagen Golf.

Ms Mischevani said: “The whole incident was beyond scary for both me and my assistant.

“Facing armed masked men stealing my belongings is something I never thought would happen and something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

“The events had a profound and devastating impact on me. In a city where I’ve always felt safe, I became overcome with fear and have since found it difficult to sleep reliving the whole experience.

“These selfish individuals and their reckless actions have had a tremendous impact on my business, but we are working tirelessly to emerge stronger from this terrible situation.”

Detective Constable Charlotte Palul, of the Met Police’s Central West Robbery Squad, said: “The victim is not only traumatized after such a horrific ordeal, but understandably utterly devastated at the loss of a number of one-off creations that are the result of months of work.

“I think it’s very likely that the suspects had no idea what they were stealing and mistook the items for something else.

“So it’s possible that when they discovered what was inside those suit covers, they threw them away without realizing their monetary or, more importantly, their sentimental value. Of course, it’s also possible that they tried to sell them.

“Do you recognize these clothes? Have you seen them for sale anywhere or have you been offered an opportunity to buy a dress from this designer? I urge anyone who has information that may assist the investigation to contact us and help us reunite the victim with work.’

The robbers stole a navy blue suitcase, a black holdall and 15 garment bags of various sizes

Princess Beatrice has been spotted repeatedly in Mischevani looks including this blue tailcoat (pictured with Autumn Phillips)

Ms Mischevani dressed 10 guests at Princess Eugenie’s wedding including Zara Tindall (pictured)

Police are asking anyone who recognizes the clothing to come forward

The garment bags and the garments themselves are all labeled with the designer’s name

A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with the investigation and was released on bail until May.

On her company’s website, Ms Mischevani lists Chester Row as her London showroom, while her head office is in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

She is well known to royals and celebrities for her dresses, which she has worn to a number of high profile events.

She dressed ten guests for Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding, including Zara Tindall.

Zara wore a royal blue pleated coat dress made from Italian Venetian wool with bow details for the 2018 wedding.

Claire’s designs were also worn at the wedding by Lady Gabriella Windsor, TV presenter Natalie Pinkham, Marchioness Clare Milford-Haven and Isabella Branson, Sir Richard Branson’s daughter-in-law.

Indeed, Ms Mischevani is a perennial favorite at Zara, 41 – she also wore it to the Cheltenham races last year.

Princess Beatrice is also a fan as she has worn the British designer on a number of occasions.

And Lady Gabriella Kingston, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, chose a bespoke 1950s-inspired midi dress by Ms Mischevani at last summer’s anniversary celebrations.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk