This year brings an exciting line up of creative collaborations between art and fashion, says Jess Wood, Fashion Editor at Large. So grab a ticket now before they sell out...
Picture the scene at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute back in 1973. Standing in the office of legendary ex-Vogue editor Diana Vreeland’s is a tall, shy intern called Andre Leon Talley. They are discussing how to display a gold lamé dress worn by Claudette Colbert in the 1934 film Cleopatra, for a show on iconic Hollywood costumes.
'You realise that Cleopatra is the queen of all of Egypt, but she is a teenager...And she spends all day in the sun, walking her white albino peacocks', Talley remembers Vreeland telling him. 'She was giving me the thoughts to explore rather than saying "put this dress on that mannequin," he adds
What did Talley do? He nipped off, begged a technician for gold paint and sprayed a mannequin with three coats of it to match the dress. Vreeland (of course) loved it and the show itself, ‘Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design’, was a roaring success.
Before Vreeland hit the Met’s Costume Institute, where she became Special Consultant after leaving Vogue, it’s hard to believe no one was interested in fashion exhibitions. Seen as a dusty, fusty niche aimed at costume geeks and industry types, Vreeland, with her antennae for the zeitgeist and her genius for innovative presentation, built the Costume Institute’s shows into the first modern fashion blockbusters. Her 'Treasures of Tutankhamun’ set a Met record for visitor numbers in 1978. It was only overtaken last year by the ‘Heavenly Bodies’ exhibition (which looked at Catholicism and fashion) which was visited by 1,659,647 people.
London’s V&A has seen ever-increasing success in recent years with standout shows including 2015’s ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’, which attracted more than 480,000 visitors, and last year’s ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’, which sold out all pre-bookable tickets only three weeks into its six month run and had to be extended for a further seven weeks.
In 2020, fashion is entertainment and is now considered part of the cultural conversation in the same way as say, an exhibition on the latest Japanese photographers or a study of Impressionism. The new Alexander McQueen store in London even includes a special exhibition space which will house past collections, talks and other events. The Design Museum has a starry new director (ex-RA boss and arts broadcaster Tim Marlow) and looks set to rival the V&A with some of its fashion offerings this year. So, without further ado, here are the fashion exhibitions to get excited about and get booking ASAP.
V&A Museum
Mary Quant
When: Now until 16thFebruary
Why: Still not been? You must. The Mary Quant retrospective is one of the V&A’s biggest ever successes and is on until February - this is your last chance to catch it. There was a public call-out for original pieces that resulted in several star exhibits donated by members of the public. Revel in a rollick through Swinging Sixties London and marvel at the iconic Quant designs that launched the concept of affordable ‘youth’ fashion.
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk
When: Opens 29thFebruary
Why: Ever wondered what John Galliano, a geisha and 16thcentury Dutch paintings have in common? Why, the kimono, of course. The first of the V&A’s major exhibitions for this year will trace the history of the Japanese design from the 16thcentury to its influences on modern-day designers and culture. Expect press buzz a-go-go and the presence of influencers like Tokyo electro DJ Madame Yulia for the opening in February.
Bags: Inside Out
When: Opens 25thApril
Why: Your Chloe ‘Aby Lock’ obsession is now officially explained. This year in sponsorship with Mulberry, the V&A is celebrating bags in all their glory – why we love them, where they began (that would be with the medieval ‘chatelaine’) and will explore the history of iconic examples including Maggie Thatcher’s top-handled number and, of course, the Carrie Bradshaw Fendi Baguette that launched the notion of the ‘It’ bag. We cannot wait.
Design Museum
Prada Front and Back
When: Opening September, check www.designmuseum.org for updates
Why: Anyone who’s been lucky enough to attend one of Miuccia Prada’s catwalk shows will know it’s not just a show – it’s an insight into the mind of one of fashion’s most intelligent designers, a vision of what everyone will be wearing/copying (delete as appropriate) for seasons to come, an immersive set experience…in a nutshell, it’s everything. The first major exhibition centred on the house will follow its transformation under Miuccia from traditional family-run Italian leather goods purveyor to influential global powerhouse. With input from architects Rem Koolhaas and Herzog de Meuron, both key Miuccia collaborators, the show will look at the ‘surface’ of fashion and the industrial infrastructure that lies behind it.
Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street
When: Opening June, check www.designmuseum.org for updates
Why: Calling all sneakerheads: this exhibition will unpack the whole billion-dollar phenomena – the limited editions, the innovations like air bubbles and 3D printing…not to mention giving us the chance to marvel at the cult sell-outs that had fans up all night in a drop-wait frenzy, including Comme des Garcons collaborations and exclusives from Nike and Adidas.
Fashion and Textile Museum
Beautiful People: The Boutique in 1960s Counterculture
When: Opens 3rdJuly
Why: The British high street has its roots in a Sixties explosion of boutiques centred round Chelsea. This show will explore the boutique experience of now-legendary stores including Granny Takes a Trip, Biba and Mr Fish. The glittering tastemakers of the day including Marianne Faithfull, the Stones and the Beatles flocked to them for innovative designs and now we’ll be able to take a step back in time to experience a truly golden period in fashion history.
