IDOL FRIDAY: Alexander McQueen

It's been 20 years since the late Alexander McQueen first grabbed our attention. His contribution to the fashion world is one that will never be forgotten! Not only was he Chief Director for Givenchy for 5 years but McQueen also successfully founded his own label and had four British Designer  of the Year awards under his belt. It's been 4 years since his untimely death, so it seems only right we come out of mourning and celebrate the designers life. And to help us celebrate we have  two wonderful exhibitions launching this month completely dedicated to his beautiful work!

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Savage Beauty @ The V&A Museum

SOURCED FROM HERE

You may have already heard the buzz about this exhibition, but the V&A have put together the largest ever retrospective of the his work and it's starting this Saturday!  You will be able to view extensive work from his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished 2010 collection. One of the exhibits will be called the Cabinet of Curiosities, focusing on atavistic and fetishistic paraphernalia produced by McQueen, showcasing show pieces and one-off creations made purely for the catwalk and not intended for mass production.

Be sure to buy tickets in advance, as this show is booking up quickly. Tickets are £17.50 per adult and you can buy them here

Nick Waplington/Alexander McQueen: Working Process @Tate Britain

This extremely special exhibition at Tate Britain shows a rare collaboration between Alexander McQueen and photographer, Nick Waplington. In 2009, Waplington recorded unique behind the scenes footage of Alexander McQueen's last A/W collection, Horn of Plenty, which concentrated on reusing fabrics and silhouettes from previous collections. Even the catwalk set was made from discarded segments from sets of his past shows. Waplington used old analogue cameras which allowed up-to 8 shots per roll. The usage of film adds a rawness to his images showing a side to the fashion world that people don't normally see.

This show is also ticketed at £16 per adult and you can buy them here

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So which exhibition will you be going to see? The V&A is definitely at the top of my list! Savage Beauty was extremely popular in New York when it was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2011, so definitely one not to be missed! Just remember to buy your tickets in advance so you don't miss out!

Big love,

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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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