Ballgowns British Glamour since 1950

Whether you are loving or hating all the Jubilee and Olympic hoo-ha, there is no doubting that is has given us a cultural calender to die for. The latest must see at the Victoria and Albert Museum is Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950, charting the traditions of eveningwear from the darlings of the debutantes to red carpet celebrity style.
Staged in the museums newly refurbished fashion galleries, the exhibition showcases more than 60 examples of 'beautiful ballgowns, red carpet evening dresses and catwalk showstoppers'. The roll call promises treats from the likes of Zandra Rhodes, Jonathan Saunders and Hussein Chalayan as well as some hot off the catwalk creations from Alexander McQueen, Erdem and Giles Deacon. And as if that wasn't enough there is also a selection of Royal gowns, (cause who does a good frock better than a royal, right?), including a Norman Hartnell gown that was the Queen Mother's. A perfect way to get the Jubilee party started...


Cindy Beadman, Yuki, Ossie Clark, Roksanda Illincic

 Elizabeth Emanuel, Mary Katrantzou, Victor Edelstein, Erdem


Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950, from 19 May 2012 - 6 January 2013. 
Individual images from Vogue.com

Ca4la

I need more hats in my life. And this is where i'm going to buy them from...
Ca4la (pronounced Ka-shi-la) is a Japanese brand that brought their fabulous designs and collaborations to our shores, via shoreditch in 2006. The shop fit was pretty cool - i was strangely drawn to the dapper boar.

Cecil Beaton @ the V&A

There are only 12days left to go see Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton at the VandA...Not that these images are in the exhibition, but i just love the way he put his sketchbooks and proof pages together, so i'm using them as a loose connection. Beaton could do it all. 
The exhibition is well worth seeing and will act as a great warm-up act for another fabulous VandA show in May (as well as the actual Diamond Jubilee, of course) - Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950...

Angels the costumiers- the tour

If you love vintage, costume, historical design, or just clothes full stop (everyone then?), then the Angels Tour is a mandatory experience. After years of enquires, the famous costumiers finally opened their doors to the public. And man did they do it well! The tour of their humongous HQ whizzes by in about 1.5hrs, taking in all the themed rooms, decades and categories of clothing. The sheer scale of the place is breath-taking, with over 6 million pieces of clothing throughout. This is an enthusiasts paradise. The films, tv and theatre productions that they're credited with is unbelievable. And then there are the stories that come with them! Part of the charm of the tour are all the little anecdotes that accompany each section - but don't worry, no spoilers here. 
The team pull from a vast pool of knowledge, to not only create accurate, authentic outfits for various projects, but to also make sure that it's all fed back into the incredibly organised, categorised, storage system - no guess work here.


As you can imagine, the tour is pretty popular and the groups are small, so booking in advance is a must. Tickets are £25 and well worth it!



the badge room




the fur room






this is where my knees started to buckle...

Marilyn Exhibition @ Getty Images Gallery

Getty Images Gallery have out done themselves with their latest exhibition, Marilyn, which commemorates 50 years since the icons untimely death in 1962. Featuring a stunning collection of photographs, as well as some of Marilyn's iconic film costumes and dresses, this exhibition is a must see. 


We all know that this woman was more than her fair share of photogenic, so of course, lingering over each image is a dream. But it's the dresses that seem to get the most attention, hence all the smudgy nose prints on the glass! What I loved most, was how worn they looked, with sequins missing around seams, patched up holes and general wear and tear - these dresses look like they hold some good stories! Their fragility only seems to emphasise how real they are, making you catch your breathe as you come to terms with the realisation that Marilyn Monroe was actually in them at one point! Very surreal. One thing i will say, is that yes, the dresses are nice, but my God, it was the way that woman wore them, that made them so special.


Make sure you pop your head into this little gallery, for a glimpse into old-school Hollywood glamour.

Costume for There's No Business Like Showbusiness, 1954

A costume worn by Marilyn for a feature in Life magazine in 1958, with photographer Richard Avedon.
A dress from The Prince and the Showgirl, 1957. Made from white silk and chiffon, with delicate beaded embellishment. After watching My Week with Marilyn, with Michelle Williams this week, seeing this dress was even more special.
The famous dance scene from the film, re-created in My Week with Marilyn, by the awesome Michelle Williams - uncanny.
One of the most iconic -  THE dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1956.

Another costume from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but the scene was cut in editing...

Costume worn in the 1956 film Bustop.


Dress worn to the premiere of The Rose Tattoo, 1955, in the company of the dashing Marlo Brando.

Probably my favourite...a dress from Some like it Hot, 1959, designed by legendary Hollywood costume designer Orry - Kelly (who incidentally won an Oscar for best costume for this film). The dress was considered very risque for the time, due to the sheer panelling. Apparently, it was so tight, that Marilyn had to be lifted onto the piano for the number, I'm through with love. Man, she looks hot in this dress!

It is so nice to see this dress in colour and i never realised how gorgeous the back was...

Exhibition ends May 19th