Haute World: Alexander McQueen

Showing posts with label Alexander McQueen. Show all posts

Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 - V&A Exhibition (London)

What started out as a short blog hiatus, somehow managed to turn into a very long break. All of which I blame on work, other commitments and the fact that fashion in the last few months has left me slightly uninspired. But having dragged my friend T to the V&A Ballgowns exhibition last week, I thought it would be a nice way to revive Haute World for a bit (though bear with me - updates may still be somewhat sporadic).

Having first perused the reopened fashion galleries, which I'd highly recommend - especially considering it's free - T and I began our cultural journey on the ground floor of the exhibit. Split into two parts, this area showcased the ballgowns since 1950, while the upper level featured the more contemporary dresses. Throughout the visit, various dresses from the exhibit could be seen projected on the ceiling of the dome above.

Not surprisingly, the most striking gowns were the ones from past eras - back when formal attire was only the norm for private events and handmade for a particular client. Wearers ranged from royalty to debutantes with every outfit immaculately made and beautiful to behold. Through time, private functions evolved to the more public charity balls - and in recent years: red-carpet events.

Ballgowns since 1950

Top: Mary Donan, Yuki, Matthew Williamson and Belville Sassoon, left: Victor Edelstein, Bruce Oldfield (made for Bianca Jagger) and Murray Arbeid worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, right: Hardy Amies.

Designed for the ball: David Emanuel, Worth of London, Norman Hartnell

Rayne Shoes. Gowns and accessories by Dior

Radical Robes 1990-2012, including gowns by Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and, Zandra Rhodes

Left: Alexander McQueen dress from his last collection. Right: 'Elvis Dress' by Catherin Walker created for Diane, Princess of Wales

The biggest contrast, once you reached the upper level was that despite the beauty of the dresses, grouped together in three clusters, there seemed to be a personal touch missing. As everyone knows, these days evening dresses are worn on the red carpet for a mere few hours, chosen by a stylist and lent to a celebrity, who's body shape was never the intended target of the designer. Unlike the lower level, which featured gowns that were actually purchased by their wearers and lovingly stored for future generations, it seems an awful shame that most gowns these days are passed from one celeb to another before ending back in a designer's showroom.

Contemporary Ballgowns

Overview of one of the upper level displays. Right: Alexander McQueen feathered gown as worn by Daphne Guinness.

Left: Craig Lawrence, Christopher Kane, Ralph & Russo (as worn by Beyonce). Right: Vivienne Westwood.

Craig Lawrence, Jenny Packham (as worn by Sandra Bullock) and Gareth Pugh's metallic gown made of leather.

Giles Deacon, Nicholas Oakwell

Amanda Wakely, Holly Fulton

Roksanda Illincic

Left: Marchesa. Right: Mark Fast, John Galliano, Felicity Brown

Erdem, Mary Katrantzou

Nevertheless, the exhibition made a good point of showing that even contemporary British fashion houses like Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood have successfully bridged the gap between the red carpet and traditional royal functions. With Britain being a focus of pretty much everything these days, this exhibition is definitely worth a visit and will thankfully be open for quite a while longer. If you're in London around this time, I'd definitley urge you to check it out - especially considering the images I took don't really do the gowns much justice...

Additional images shown above are the copyright of the V&A, Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

History of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition: 1990-2010 (Paris, France)

As some may remember, a while ago I blogged about the first part of the History of Contemporary Fashion Exhibition (aka 'Histoire idéale de la mode contemporaine'), which covered the 70s and 80s. Hosted by the 'Musée des Arts Décoratifs', the showcase featured the more iconic styles of eras long forgotten by some. The second part of this installation, which was presented this Spring, might be a little closer to heart for most though, considering the pieces presented, stem from very recent history. Curated once again by Olivier Saillard, the journey through the 90s and 2000s took a look at key designers who revolutionized the fashion world and runway shows with their unique voice, whether it was the Japanese heavyweights Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo - or subsequently the Belgian designers who followed in their footsteps: Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester or Veronique Branquinho. Then there were the newcomers such as Alexander McQueen or Hussein Chalayan, not to mention the designers who gave established fashion houses a breath of fresh air: Galliano for Dior, Ford for Gucci, Lagerfeld for Chanel, Elbaz for Lanvin and Ghesquière for Balenciaga.

The key look from the exhibition poster: Maison Martin Margiela blazer.

As with all exhibitions, it was impossible for the curator to feature every designer from recent history. So while some may question the lack of American talent (with the exception of Tom Ford) or omissions which included Jil Sander, who ruled 90s minimalism, - or fellow female creatives such as Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo to name a few - it was definitely still a very well laid-out and expansive presentation. At times it was a bit odd to see pieces, which had so recently graced the runway or appeared in boutique windows, displayed in a museum setting. But if anything, it's a nice reminder that even collections of the recent past, already deserve a place in fashion history.

Apologies if some of the images aren't of the best quality. The lighting wasn't ideal for photography.

Maison Martin Margiela

Veronique Branquinho

Ann Demeulemeester

Dries van Noten

Junya Watanabe / Issey Miyake

Comme des Garçons

Yohji Yamamoto

Azzedine Alaïa

Helmut Lang

Prada

Lanvin par Claude Montana

Hussein Chalayan

Alexander McQueen

A dress from SS04, which was almost impossible to capture.

Christian Dior par John Galliano

Click here to see the rest of the exhibit, which includes Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Lanvin, Balenciaga and more.

Selfridges: Project Ocean - Washed Up (London, UK)

As you all know, the fashion and retail industry is at its best when it doesn't just present the world with pretty clothes, but fights for a charitable cause. This May and June, Selfridges launched a special campaign titled 'Project Ocean' that saw the department store tackle the problem of over-fishing and poor fishing practices. Partnering with over 20 environmental and conservation groups, the main goal was to celebrate the beauty of the ocean, help the general public understand the threats to the ocean and make positive choices about the right fish to buy and eat.

As part of Project Ocean, Selfridges is raising money for the Zoological Society of London to create Marine Reserves – protected areas in the ocean set aside as safe havens for fish and their ecosystems. In addition, the store is featuring a host of activities including everything from celebrity chef cooking demonstrations to craft events for children. But the event that immediately caught my eye, was the 'Washed Up' fashion exhibition, curated by Judith Clark.

Overview of the exhibition space. The pieces were displayed in glass tanks, while visitors walked along wooden planks surrounded by corals.

Housed in the concept store, the exhibition showcases the most interesting ocean inspired pieces from big-name designers such as Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and Gareth Pugh to name a few. Also on display is Lady Gaga's famous lobster hat, designed by Philip Treacy. According to Clark "it is a rare opportunity for a curator of dress to be able to draw attention of such great political importance and urgency”. Having visited this exhibit last weekend, I was stunned by how incredible the exhibition space looked and think Clark did an excellent job. The haunting and desolate backdrop of driftwood and dead coral (salvaged from customs after it was seized from illegal smugglers) provided a stark contrast to the exquisite pieces on display and highlighted the critical environmental issues of Project Ocean. The corresponding window display was equally striking. Each set of designs was categorized into groups such as 'The Deep' or 'Atlantis', depending on what the pieces were inspired by, and an accompanying fact sheet gave additional information on the subject.

Radiolarum: Hussein Chalayan / The Deep: Hussein Chalayan

Left: Hussein Chalayan- Bubble Dress FW07/08. Right: Hussein Chalayan- LED Dress, February 2009 (made of 15 000 LED lights under fabric), both in collaboration with Swarovski.

Underwater Flora: Maison Martin Margiela, John Rocha / Oil Spill: John Rocha

Left: Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal- Flora Dress FW11/12, John Rocha- Reef Dress SS11. Right: John Rocha- Black Reef Dress FW10/11

The Beach: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Mariel Manuel

Top: Jean-Charles de Castelbajac- Shark Dress SS10. Bottom: Mariel Manuel- Lobster Bodybuilder Ensemble (left) and Octopus Dress (right), both from the 'Keep Your Eye on the Doughnut' collection, 2010.

Structure & Geometry: Junya Watanabe, Sandra Backlund, Iris van Herpen

Top: Junya Watanabe- top, private collection (left), Sandra Backlund- Origami top, Ink Blot test paper (right).
Bottom: Iris van Herpen- 3D printed top and skirt, Crystalization collection.

Texture: Gareth Pugh, Iris van Herpen

Left: Gareth Pugh- Fisch Scale Dress SS11. Right: Iris van Herpen- RI011, Radiation Invasion, Ecco Leather, Porcelain Treatment.

Atlantis: Alexander McQueen, Andrea Cammarosano

Top: Alexander McQueen- Jellyfish Print Ensemble (left), Plato's Atlantis SS10. Andrea Cammarosano- Seaweed Dress, Serenada Moleculare 2008 (right). Bottom: Alexander McQueen- Jellyfish Dress, Plato's Atlantis SS10.

Octopus: Iris van Herpen

Iris van Herpen- Octopus Dress, Escapism Couture.

The Water's Edge: Vintage / Looking Out To Sea: Vintage

This category focused on the history of swimwear and seaside inspired leisure dresses. From left: Blue & yellow skirted swimsuit 1820s, Swimsuit C 1900, Blue & white striped bustle dress 1870s, 'Stored' dress with abstract fish motif 1850s.

Hats

Left: Philip Treacy- Lobster Hat, courtesy of Lady Gaga. Top: Naomi Filmer- Crystal Swimming Cap. Right: Stephen Jones- Sway Hat (right).

Top: 1920s Brain Coral Cloche; Judith Clark- Pearl Waves: A Hypothetical 1930s wig (embroidery: Rosie Taylor-Davies).
Bottom: Stephen Jones- Beach Comber Hat; Philip Treacy- Zero Gravity Hat.

From left: Philip Treacy- Feather Ocean Worm Hat, Justin Smith Esquire- Rope Octopus Hair, Emma Yeo- Swan 20 Headdress, Stephen Jones- Shoal Hat, Justin Smith Esquire- Rope Beach Bonnet.

Stephen Jones- Fish Mobile Hat.

From left: Dai Rees for Alexander McQueen- Echinoderm Headdress, Emma Yeo- Dragonfly 9 Headdress, Zana Gorman- Headdress, Zara Gorman- Shell Hat, Philip Treacy- Leaf Hat.

If you happen to be in the London area, I'd highly recommend a visit (the exhibition ends June 8). As a fish eater and scuba diver, I had witnessed the damage done to the marine world, but wasn't all too aware of which species were actually endangered. If you're not in the area or still want to play a part in rescuing the ocean, you can donate to Project Ocean here or inform yourself as to what type of fish you should and shouldn't eat. Selfridges has not only created a free pocket guide, available in their stores, but also designed a (free) iPhone app, complete with a fish guide, fish recipes (yum!) and restaurant reviews. And lastly, if you want to make a real statement, you can also purchase special edition Project Ocean items, including totes, tees and shoes online.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty @ Harvey Nichols (London, UK)

If, like me, you're not in New York at the moment (or anytime soon), you're most likely feeling a little bummed to be missing the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition, currently on display at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you happen to be in London though, here's the next best thing: in order to celebrate the opening of said exhibition and as a way to commemorate the late Lee McQueen, Harvey Nichols has 15 of his pieces on display, spanning over a decade. The UK department store is the only one to have been chosen for this honor - and though the showcase won't match the real thing in NYC, the pieces in the windows are still stunning to behold.

Of course if you're not in NYC or London, I would highly recommend purchasing the Savage Beauty book, which is easily available (and on sale!) via Amazon here.

Below you'll find all the pieces in the Harvey Nichols store windows, including shots of some of the beautiful details. The windows will be up until the end of May, so head on over if you get a chance - they're definitely worth a look.