Fashionable London

                       

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones is set to open at the Peabody Essex Museum on September 8, 2012. The exhibition will run through February 3, 2013. Originally on display at the V&A in 2009, the exhibition explores the work of British milliner Stephen Jones. His quirky yet beautiful designs are much loved by celebrities and royalty alike and the exhibition was inspired by Cecil Beaton’s 1971 exhibition at the V&A, Fashion: An Anthology by Cecil Beaton, where Beaton approached celebrities of the time and requested they donate couture items to the V&A. I’m hoping to make the trip up to Massachusetts before the show is over, as I’ve seen Jones’ work before and would love to see it again!

Photograph courtesy of the V&A Collections.

While reading NYTimes.com today I came across an article that caught my attention. In “David Bowie Denies Involvement in British Exhibition of His Clothing,” reporter David Itzkoff discusses an official statement from David Bowie concerning an upcoming retrospective at the V&A featuring his world-famous stage costumes and personal fashion. While no official statement has been issued by the V&A, Bowie said “Contrary to recently published reports relating to the announcement by the V&A of an upcoming David Bowie Exhibition, I am not a co-curator and did not participate in any decisions relating to the exhibition.” The issue of co-curation with subjects of upcoming exhibitions is a much contested one. Following the controversial Giorgio Armani exhibition at the Guggenheim in NYC, many museums adopted a policy of staying away from exhibitions featuring still-living artists. I’ll be interested to see the progression of the David Bowie retrospective at the V&A, if it is set to be on display in 2013 as the NY Times article states. What are your thoughts on the idea of curating exhibitions on living artists and receiving (or not) their input and/or financial support?

Read the original conversation-sparking article on the David Bowie retrospective here.

As this post is long overdue, I will jump right into the good stuff. The upstairs portion of Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 featured contemporary British designers with one exception, a gown by Marchesa was on display. Sonnet Stanfill mentioned this was her and co-curator Oriole Cullen’s one “cheat” since the brand is located in NYC but one member of the team, Georgina Chapman, was born and raised in London. The second level of the exhibition is the space that has been the most photographed since it is more open than the first level. The gallery space featured nearly thirty ball gowns by contemporary designers including Alexander McQueen, Roland Mouret, and Jenny Packham. Below are a few of my favorites from the second level of the exhibition.

Christopher Kane, 2012, worn by actress Shailene Woodley at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gala. Photograph courtesy of Fab Sugar. 

                            

Erdem, Autumn/Winter 2008. Photograph courtesy of Design Week.

Stella McCartney, 2011, worn by Annette Benning to the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. Photograph courtesy of Comunidade Moda.

                  

Mary Katrantzou, Spring/Summer 2011. Photograph courtesy of Coco’s Tea Party.

                             

Roland Mouret, 2010, worn by Maggie Gyllenhal to the Golden Globes. Photograph courtesy of Southern Femme.

                                                    

 

Jenny Packham, Spring/Summer 2011,worn by Sandra Bullock to the Golden Globes. Photograph courtesy of Fashion Addict. 

                               

Alexander McQueen, Spring/Summer 2011, worn by Daphne Guinness to the Metropolitan Museum of Art gala. Photograph courtesy of the V&A.

       

Antonio Berardi, Autumn/Winter 2011. Worn by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Photograph courtesy of Fashionistimus.

Overall I really enjoyed the second level of the Ballgowns exhibition. The gowns on display were intricately made and definitely museum-worthy. The contemporary aspect of the second level allowed visitors to make a connection with various gowns, including those worn by celebrities within the past few years. Many gowns that I have seen on red carpets caught my attention much more within the gallery space, proving the craftsmanship of many designers deserves an up-close inspection.

Photographs from personal collection unless otherwise noted.

 

                      

                 Watteau, Les Femmes Collection (Evening Dress with a Glove), 1996

“Fashion is very important. It is life enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.” - Vivienne Westwood

Photograph courtesty of the V&A Collections

                               

In late 2011, Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall was picked up by HBO in conjunction with BBC for a four-part tv miniseries. The book, told from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell, traces the rise and subsequent fall (in the sequel, Bring Up the Bodies) of Anne Boleyn during 16th century England. Having read the book, I’m interested to see how HBO and BBC will bring the story to tv audiences. I’m also excited to see the Tudor England costumes designed for the series, as HBO and BBC surely have the budget to do this well. I’ll keep an eye out for any other news regarding the tv series and you can read a bit more about it here and here.

Photograph courtesy of Barnes and Noble.

                                   

In October, the Saatchi Gallery will play host to the Little Black Jacket photographic exhibition by Chanel. Previously on display in Tokyo, New York, Taipei and Hong Kong, the exhibition features 113 photographs starring “friends of the fashion house,” which includes singer Lily Allen, model Stella Tennant, and actress Elle Fanning. The exhibition is based on a book of the same title written by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld.

According to Vogue UK, “to coincide with the exhibition, Chanel’s Bond Street, Sloane Street and Brompton Cross boutiques will have window displays dedicated to jackets from the most recent collections.” A statement from Chanel reads, “the special event underlines the brand’s values of creativity, modernity and excellence. The public will discover the versatility and timelessness of the iconic Chanel jacket through Karl Lagerfeld’s photographs.”

Photograph courtesy of Vogue UK. For more photograhs visit Vogue UK.

Sunday night was the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. I love the Olympics so I was sad to see the fun come to an end. However, that sadness was quickly replaced by awe and excitement over the Closing Ceremony. I loved every minute of it! Being a huge fan of British music I was glad to see many British stars get to perform on an international scale(I would have loved to see Ellie Goulding up there though!). One aspect of the show I really enjoyed was the collaboration between the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the British Fashion Council (BFC). Nine British models took to the Union Jack catwalk wearing creations from top British designers including Alexander McQueen and Burberry. Here’s a quick breakdown of who wore what along with photographs from Vogue UK’s photo shoot by Nick Knight, which is featured in the September issue (that I’m dying to get my hands on!):

Naomi Campbell wears a gold metal embroidered dress with a train by Alexander McQueen

Kate Moss wears a full-length gold sequined dress by Alexander McQueen

Karen Elson wears a gold lace evening dress by Burberry

Georgia May Jagger wears a gold metal fabric cocktail dress by Victoria Beckham

David Gandy wears a gold Paul Smith suit and tie and Jourdan Dunn wears a white and gold leather dress by Jonathan Saunders and a gold headdress by Stephen Jones

Lily Donaldson wears a a gold silk dress decorated with a pattern of thousands of sequins by Vivienne Westwood

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a very good photograph of Stella Tennant wearing the metal mesh and Swarovski crystal trouser suit by Christopher Kane or of Lily Cole wearing a gold embroidered and lace cocktail dress by Erdem, but all the photographs can be viewed at Vogue UK.

I thought this portion of the Closing Ceremony was an interesting way to draw attention to the rising star power of many British designers and the British fashion industry in general. You can read more about the collaboration on the British Fashion Council website.

All photographs courtesy of Global Grind.

As the 2012 Summer Olympics are fast approaching their finale, I thought it was time to talk about a design element that I find fascinating. Over the summer I saw the exhibition Heatherwick Studio at the V&A. Having little prior knowledge of Thomas Heatherwick and the extraordinary work produced in his studio, I was blown away by the exhibition. The creativity and engineering skill that the Heatherwick studio possesses is unbelievable. Needless to say, I’ve been transformed into a Heatherwick fan! The exhibition remains open until September 30 so if you have the chance be sure to stop by – and be ready to spend a good amount of time in the exhibition. I only had an hour to go through the exhibition and feel that wasn’t enough. The exhibition is text heavy despite the compact gallery space. The life-size reproduction of a redesigned London bus was definitely a favorite aspect of the exhibition for me.

So what is the connection between the exhibition, the Heatherwick studio, and the Olympics? The creative minds at Heatherwick studio are the geniuses behind the 2012 Summer Olympic cauldron. I believe a prototype of the Olympic cauldron is now on display at the V&A, as the cauldron itself has been revealed. Among the various discussions regarding the costumes on display during the opening ceremony and during competition in sports such as gymnastics (those sequins!), swimming, and various others, I have been most impressed with the cauldron itself and the design studio behind the piece. Perhaps this is due to my exposure to Heatherwick in London, and the interest I now have in the studio, but I still think it’s important to consider all aspects of design when studying fashion and dress. I have always been drawn to and inspired by the decorative arts as a whole, so it’s no surprise I’m drawn to the work produced by Heatherwick! I hope you’ll share in my love of the Heatherwick studios and their work from the past and in the future.

Read more about the Olympic cauldron here.

Photograph courtesy of The Guardian.