Hollywood Costume at V&A

I was one of the lucky few to be invited to a special viewing of the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the V&A on the 6th November. It's really quite a marvelous exhibition and I highly recommend it. There are over 100 costumes to view, which took over 5 years to put together. The layout and the way the V&A display everything is clearly very well thought through. The exhibition is split into 3 acts with a wonderful gift shop at the end selling replica ruby slippers and yummy popcorn, amongst many other things.

It's hard to say which were my favourite costumes but I especially loved seeing Scarlett O'Hara's green dress from Gone with the Wind, Indiana Jones leather bomber jacket, The Adams Family's gothic costumes and Charlie Chapman's tatty tramp suit. It was surprising to see the size of some of the costumes as the majority of the dresses had itty bitty waists and the height of Darth Vader's costume, for example, emphasised how tall David Prowse actually is.  Charlie Chapman was definitely a short man, by the way. His tatty suit from The Tramp (1915) was tiny even though it's of a very misfit design. He couldn't have been much taller than me and I am only 5ft 2.

Below is a small selection of some of the astounding costumes on display. It's clear these garments have been well cared for, as some of them are nearly 100 years old! It was thrilling to see some of the most iconic items of clothing ever made, right in front of me. This exhibition is a must not just for movie lovers, but for anyone interested in how fashion, and cinematic costume has changed over the decades. 

1. Judi Dench's costume in Shakespere in Love
2. Judy Garland's costume in Wizard of Oz
3. Ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz (one of four pairs known to exist)
4. Helena Bonham Carter's costume in Room with a View
5. Blurb about the ruby slippers
6. Marilyn Monroe's costume in Seven Year Itch
7. Tippi Hedren's costume in Birds
8. Keira Knightley's costume in Atonement
9. Marilyn Monroe's costume in Some Like it Hot 

It wasn't just clothes on display. Original artwork and designs for the costumes in the first act tell the stories behind the clothes. Headless mannequins having small flat screens displaying the characters moving head was a really nice touch. The second act had a fantastically put together  multi-media platform, showing videos  of the actors and directors that brought these characters to life. The third act was the finale and had a party atmosphere, with guests like Superman, Dorothy Gale, Marlyn Monroe and Harry Potter! It was like the best fancy dress party you could ever wish for! 

This wonderful exhibition finishes on 27th January 2013, so with Christmas fast approaching to take over our lives for a week or so, there's really not much time to go see it!

GO!

Big love,

AKA Hooting Miss Owl


PS - If you do go, let me know what your favourite costume was!

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