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

Stereograms and fuzzy eyes

I spent most of the 90's boz-eyed trying to crack these things. So when i spotted them on a recent trip to the Museum of Childhood, i was sent on a fuzzy eyed, nostalgia trip! i love how this first one looks like a Mary Katrantzou print! See if you can still do it...

LFW A/W '12 Mary Katrantzou

The current darling of fashion, Mary Katrantzou, can do no wrong at the moment. Her collaboration with Topshop launched last week and had grown women running down the escalators of their flagship store in desperation! Not that i'm balking at the idea... i have been known to run (and elbow) for a fashion fix.

(The Mary K Topshop collection...fyi on the dress below...)

So, with expectations riding high, it was great to see her take those signature shapes and push them even further, with new corseted shapes now added to her repertoire. And then there are those awe-inspiring prints. Forks, spoons, typewriters, clocks and embroidered (actual) pencils made up the quirkier combinations, with subtle, yet modern florals, giving a romantic feel to billowing, ruffled dresses. What I love about her prints is that the more you look, the more you see, and the fact that they can take on different forms, depending on whether you view them from a far or up close. A great show - long may the Queen of print reign...









images sourced from the awesome Style.com and Topshop websites.