Depo Provera And Mucus

Exhibition: Fashion at the V & A, London.

in the space 40 of the Victoria & Albert Museum is the Fashion Collection. Since November last year, this area is closed but and will be opened until 2012. For this reason, I have finally collected the photos of the exhibition and the description text.

The image quality is not always best, as my modest photo equipment was overwhelmed by the dimmed light conditions. I present a selection of clothes in the order in which I recorded them. There are also some information.

Paris.

Paris is a world capital of elegance. For centuries, French style has been Recognised, emulated and adopted throughout the fashion world. Paris is so unique for its outstandiing craftmanship. These factors have created the world’s leading fashion designers and attracted many talented designers from abroad.

During the 20 ^th century Paris revolutionised the fashion designer, the fashion label and the fashion show, as well as sportswear and ready-to-wear. It also extended the great couture labels into perfume and accessories.

After the Second World War, two designers reaffirmed Paris’s dominance. Their styles were diametrically opposed. Christian Dior introduced the New Look, a silhouette gloryfying the female form, while Christobal Balenciaga invented a new minimalist and architectural approach. Their influence on a new generation of young designers would bring French fashion into a new era.

Paris. 
Evening Dress. Thierry Mugler (1948-). Autumn/Winter 1999-2000.

After a short career as a ballet dancer, Thierry Mugler presented his first fashion collection in 1973. Deeply influenced by the stage, his unique style is also inspired by erotica, fetishism and the urban scene. All his garments, whether classical or theatrical, display the same rigour in cut and line.

Paris. Velvet with beading.

Paris. 
Evening Dress. Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (1883-1971). 1932. 

After becoming known in the 1920s for sporty, slightly androgynous designs, Chanel successfully followed the new feminine fashions of the 1930s. This evening dress is cut with a flaring skirt and backless bodice. The bust and lower back are appliqued with bow motifs which gently emphasise the natural curves of the figure.

Paris. Silk embrodied with sequins.

Paris. 
Evening Dress. Madeleine Vionnet (1876-1975). 1933.

This deceptively simple, nude-coloured gown is typical of Vionett’s highly skilled craftmanship. She was famous for her bias-cut gowns, which used supple fabrics cut on the cross to cling to the body. Bias-cut fabric required precision to cut and sew, and the tiniest mistakes could not be concealed.

Paris. Satin.

New York. Zac Posen (1981-). 2000.

Zac Posen designed this dress while a fashion student in London. It takes its inspiration from historic undergarments in the V&A and was shown in the Museum’s exhibtion Curvaceous in 2000. Posen made the dress entirely of strips of leather, joining them with hundreds of hooks and eyes, a fastening more commonly used in undergarments.

London. Leather and metal.

Dress. Alexander McQueen (1969-2010). Spring/Summer 2010.

Alexander McQueen was one of the most innovatove British designers of the last two decades. His work combined precise tailoring techniques with futuristic vision. He was at the vanguard of a group of designers who embraced extraordinary theatricality and conceptual presentation. This dress is a key design fom McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

Digitally printed silk satin.

 

Dressing Up .

Clothes serve a range of functions, some practical and others decorative. People have always marked the formality of an occasion by wearing expensive and elaborate clothing.

In the 18 ^th century, the time of day dictated the formality of dress. Casual clothing was worn in the morning and formal attire after midday. The most formal style of dress was worn at Court by the aristocracy.

By the late 19 ^th century, a wide variety of garments had evolved for different activities and times of day. Morning, afternoon and evening dress were the main distinctions, with many minor variations for specific events.

Today the rules are less rigid. Dressing up for dinner of the theatre is no longer always necessary. However, weddings and evening events often still require a formal suit for men and a long dress for women, sometimes very similar to those our grandparents wore.

Dressing Up.

Evening ensemble. Norman Hartnell (1901-79). About 1948.

Women in high society required elaborate wardrobes for a variety of social occasions. In Britain, elegant evening waer followed the lead of Parisian designs. This romantic couture or made-to-measure gown by Norman Hartnell, designer to Queen Elisabeth II, was intended for a formal occasion.

London. Embroidered tulle with sequins.

Dressing Up.

Evening Dress. Christian Lacroix (1951-). 1996.

After working for the house of Patou, Lacroix opened his haute couture business in 1986. His designs, like this hooped evening dress, celebrate excess and take their inspiration from historical styles. A profusion of elaborate surface ornament embellishes the colourfully patterned textiles.

Paris. Chiné-printed silk taffeta and lace, embroidered with sequins, pastes and beads.

Because of the detail and color I could not be limited to a picture

Dressing Up.

‘Warreau’ Evening Dress. Vivienne Westwood (1941-). 1996.

Designers continue to explore the past for inspiration. Here, Vivienne Westwood looks to the 18 ^th -century French artist Antoine Watteau. The formal evening dress echoes the gowns seen in his paintings, with their petticoats worn over side hoops and double box pleats at the back. Yet its deliberate asymmetry gives a thoroughly contemporary look.

London. Silk faille and taffeta.

Dressing Up.

Evening Dress. Catherine Walker (1945-). 1994.

Even today there are occasions that demand the glamour of haute couture. Catherine Walker’s sophisticated gown is an immaculately executed design. Its understated cut is enlivened by elaborate pearl and diamanté embroidery inspired by 1930s jewellery.

London. Silk velvet with pearl collar and diamanté pendant.

Early Designers. 1850-1930.

‘Fashion is a mass phenomenon, but it feeds on the individual.’ (Cecil Beaton)

The rise of the designer really begins in the 1850s with the foundation of major fashion houses. Made-to-measure clothes from an exclusive Parisian establishment became a symbol of social and fiinancial success. The rich and famous flocked to buy creations from eminent coutiers such as Charles Worth.

By 1908 high fashion was following a new path. The costumes and sets of the Ballets Russes inspired brilliantly coloured, looser clothes, while Mariano Fortuny’s draped, classical designs also made their mark. The First World War also had a strong impact as it encouraged more practical clothes such as knitted cardigans and shorter skirts.

During the 1920s and 1930s a new generation of designers emerged. Their clothes – classic, chic, innovative and luxurious – had a lasting influence on style.

Early Designers.

Evening Dress. Charles Frederick Worth (1826-95). 1881.

Worth was a Paris-based couturier who turned dressmaking into an art form. He designed sumptuous gowns famed for their boldly patterned silks, lavish ornament and innovative use of fabrics. They became status symbols and fashionable clients. Mrs Granville Alexander, daughter of the U.S. sewing machine pioneer Isaac Singer, wore this dress.

Paris. Satin, embroidered with silk, chenille and beads, trimmmed with machine lace.

Early Designers.

Tea Gown. Rouff. About 1900.

Lavish embroidery, festoons of lace and rich silk damask give this dress an opulent feel. Only a leading couturier like Ruoff could combine these elements to create such harmony. The floral patterns on th elace complement the jewelled bodice and skirt. Under gas or candle light the stones would have sparkled like tiny beads of light against a white background.

Paris. Silk satin, embroidered with stones, pastes, metal beads and wire, decorated with lace.

Early Designers.

Evening Dress. Jean Patou (1880-1936). 1932-4.

During the early 1930s fashion designers explored simpler lines and shapes inspired by classical architecture and clothing. This evening dress is a tubular sheath embroidered with beads to suggest fabric hanging in undulating folds. Jean Patou was known for his understated designs in delicate colours.

Paris. Tulle embroidered with beads.

London.

Britain, with London as its fashion centre, had long looked to Paris for style leadership. After the Second World War, however, London emerged as a major fashion capital, largely on the strength of its ready-to-wear collections.

The garments on display suggest some of the characteristics of London fashion. There is a strong tradition of classic tailoring and couture linked to the british textile industry, but since the 1960s London has also pioneered youthful, more affordable fashions.

A constant in London fashion has been the desire for individuality. This can be seen in the bohemian and Punk styles, the romantic escapism and the enduring fascination with ethnic and historic dress.

Milan.

Before 1945 there was little industrial production of fashionable womenswear in Italy. After the war, however, the country set out to rebuild its industries, including textiles.

By the late 1970s, Milan had become italy’s fashion capital. As well as air links and spacious commercial premises, it had a well established tradition of luxury textiles and specialised leather goods.

In recent years, Milan’s powerful ready-to-wear sector has grown. To keep pace, fashion houses have recruited many young designers from abroad, making Milan a truly global centre for fashion design.

The garments featured here, though far from a complete picture, suggest the hallmarks of Italian fashion. They include glamorous evening wear, fine tailoring and innovative knitwear, but also bravado and humour.

Milan.

Evening Dress. Franco Moschino (1950-94). 1988.

After working as an illustrator, Franco Moschino started a clothing business in 1983. His irrevent designs have often ridiculed the seriouness of the fashion industry. Constructed from a petticoat and 20 bras, this example is a cheeky take on the little black dress.

Milan. Cotton and polyester.

Milan.

Evening Dress. Gianni Versace (1946-97). 1997.

Launching his first collection in 1978, Gianni Versace designed bold, body-conscious clothes with an emphasis on theatrical evening wear. This example dates from Versace’s last collection before his death in 1997. He used the softest leather and eccented the dress with an amber-beaded Greek cross.

Milan. Leather, with glass beading.