McQueen, Huguenot inspirations and Liberty in Fashion

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
exhibition 2015 at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Photo by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

It is interesting to see that Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton's touchingly feminine SS16 collection shown in Paris this week was inspired by Huguenot silk weavers who escaped Catholic France to settle in London Spitalfields in the 17th century.  (Click here to watch the Alexander McQueen SS16 show on YouTube.)


Back in July earlier this year, I covered an exhibition called Fabrics of the City which took place at The Cass - London Metropolitan University in WhiteChapel, which celebrated the work of 14 London-based designers who were inspired by Huguenot silk weavers.

In my report, I pointed out a common thread between the designers at The Cass exhibition and of McQueen in that they were all able to push boundaries and make relevant historical references with their contemporary designs.
In Sarah Burton's new SS16 collection for Alexander McQueen, she has lovingly paid respect to the Huguenots' unique craftsmanship.

One example of the stunning designs created for the high society by the

 Huguenots is The Fanshawe Dress (above), on display at the Museum of London.   

An exceptional example of their highly skilled workmanship, this piece features signature 

silver thread and lace - distinctive features in the Huguenots’ designs,

 which have served as a starting point for the new designs exhibited in Fabric of the City.

Lady Lawson Walton's Spitalfields silk brocade dress as shown in the
Liberty in Fashion exhibition to open  at the Fashion and Textile Museum
 on Friday October 9th 2015.
Photo by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Now I'm also thrilled that in a new exhibition entitled Liberty in Fashion, which will open at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey on Friday October 9th, will be on display a beautiful antique dress made from Spitalfields brocade, shortly before the Spitalfields mills closed down.
The Court dress was made by Liberty & Co  for Lady Lawson Walton (1852-1932), wife of the Attorney General, who wore it to a ball at the Court of St James in 1906 or 1907.

Liberty in Fashion showcasing a rich archive of floral prints and dress designs.
Photo by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Liberty in Fashion celebrates the 140th anniversary of the company, charting Liberty's history as the fashionable place to shop as well as its role as the source and originator of key trends in fashion history, from Orientalism and Aesthetic dress in the 19th century, through Art Nouveau and Art Deco in the early 20th century, and the revival of these styles since the 1950s.  

Exhibition focuses on how Huguenots silk weavers inspire East London textile and fashion designers

From one common source - the rich heritage of the Huguenots silk weavers, 14 designers from East London have been inspired to design and craft unique materials and techniques to demonstrate their creativity and talent in a myriad of ways.  

Latex dress by House of Harlot as seen at the Fabrics of the City exhibition, The Cass.

The result is an exhibition called Fabrics of the City currently being held at The Cass, London Metropolitan University in Whitechapel (a stone's throw from Spitalfields and Brick Lane).  The designers were invited to participate in this unique project by Cass lecturer and curator, Gina Pierce, whose own rug design was also on display at the exhibition. 

Gina Pierce, The Cass Textile Design course leader and Fabrics of the City curator,
standing in front of her own rug design

Fabrics of the City, The Cass - until July 31st.

This Fabrics of the City exhibition – on until July 31^st – is very modest by comparison to the elaborate Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (which finishes on August 2^nd) concurrently on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London’s prestigious Knightsbridge, although much of these designers’ creative work at The Cass would not be out of place at the V&A event.   McQueen’s extraordinary talent to combine tailoring with cutting-edge techniques is well-documented gaining him the accolade as one of the most celebrated designers of his generation.  The common ground that these designers at The Cass exhibition have with McQueen is their ability to push boundaries and taking something historical into the contemporary world.

Close-up shot of one of the "Blankets" designed by Alison Willoughby on show at the Fabrics of the City, The Cass.

To help these designers understand well the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers, they were given first-hand access to archive material from the V&A as well as from Museum of London.  And the result is a broad spectrum of work exhibiting the breadth of their creativity and demonstrating how each designer could take different aspects or stories associated with the Huguenots' life and skillfully develop the ideas into unique pieces of work.  Enhancing the displays are photographs taken by The Cass' own resident photographer Steven Blunt showing the designers at work in their own studios.

Close-up of one of the designs by Rentaro Nishimura using 3D printer.

All Pictures by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

All the designers are based in and around Spitalfields and its neighbourhood.  Spitalfields was where the Huguenots escaping from religious persecution in France during the 16^th and 18^th centuries had settled down during the reign of Elizabeth I because they found food and housing here were cheaper, and there was more freedom from the economic controls of the guilds, according to historians.  And they brought with them their many valued skills, the Huguenots were silk weavers, silversmiths, hat makers and craftsmen of other expertise. The level of design, the range of techniques and skills and the heritage of the area continue to influence and inspire a new generation of design talent.

To read our full story on the Fabrics of the City exhibition, click HERE.

Fabrics of the City is held at The Cass, London Metropolitan University until July 31st 2015.  
It is one of the events during Huguenot Summer 2015 organised by the Huguenots of Spitalfields charity.  To find out more, click HERE.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty - V&A to open throughout the night due to popular demand

If you still haven't seen the immensely popular Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty which is on at the Victoria & Albert Museum until August 2nd, you may be pleased to learn that the V&A has announced that  the exhibition is to open throughout the night for its final two weekends, releasing additional 12,000 tickets, due to unprecedented demand.

While on-line advanced booking maybe closed, tickets are available on day of visit at the V&A, London.  And it's worth the £16 they charge for standard admission unless you've joined the membership then of course it's free.
For full information, click HERE.

The legacy of McQueen needs no introduction and this retrospective exhibition does not disappoint.

While McQueen's ingeneous work on show are awe-inspiring, throughout the exhibition one feels the presence of the designer by the quoting of McQueen's own words offering valuable insights into the thinking behind his visionary creations.

Here is a sampling of some of McQueen's great words:-

"You've got to have the rules to break them.  That's what I'm here for, to demolish the rules. but to keep the tradition."

"I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil."

"I want to be the purveyor of a certain silhouette cutting, so that when I'm dead and gone, people will know that the 21st century was started by Alexander McQueen."

See if you can spot them at the exhibition.

Photos above by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

London's Fashion and Textile Museum extends Riviera Style swimwear exhibition due to poppular demand.

As the temperature soars, you  may choose to stay indoors, or go look at something that can cool you down.
Now here's something for you to admire, if you haven't been there yet, and is the next best thing to going to the seaside.

The Fashion and Textile Museum in London has extemded their “Riviera Style” exhibition until September 13th.

According to the FTM, the Riviera Style exhibition, which showcases 100 years of swimwear from 19th century bodysuits and Fifties’ bikinis to the 21st century burkini and mankini, is attracting record numbers to the Museum in Bermondsey with visitor figures up 19% on the same period last year.

Due to this, the show, which opened on 22nd May and originally scheduled to close on August 30th,  is to be extended to 13th September.

The museum has also seen record sales of exhibition prints thanks to a partnership with UK art publisher King and McGaw, with the most popular image being the Clacton-on-Sea Butlins’ poster designed in 1941 for London North East Railway (top), closely followed La Plage de Calvi by Roger Broders c.1929 (at right ).
Picture credits: (top) Butlin’s Clapton-on-Sea, LNER Poster, 1941. Design J. Greenup © NRM / Pictorial Collection / Science & Society Picture Library
[right] La Plage de Calvi, Corse, 1928 (Colour Litho) by Roger Broders (1883-1953). Private collection. Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty opens at the V&A London, co-presented by Swarovski

The much-hyped retrospective exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty has finally come home to London, the "epicentre" of McQueen's creative life, opening at the Victoria & Albert Museum today.

At the Opening Gala, the crème de la crème of the world of fashion, film, royalty and glamour descended onto the V&A for a black-tie do, decked in black, lace and sculptural shapes for a dramatic edge, in the spirit of McQueen.  

Highlights of the gala event and details of the exhibition which is open until 2 August can be viewed on the V&A website.  

Click Here.

THE POWER OF BELIEF (Glamour) is one of Swarovski's
main themes for Spring/Summer 2016. Sacred iconography is re-imagined for a modern era.

As co-presenter of the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition, Swarovski - the global house of cut crystal and fashion jewellery - has been associated with McQueen since the 1990s when Isabella Blow introduced the young designer to Nadja Swarovski.  This led to numerous collaborations starting with supporting McQueen’s 1999 collection as well as the creation, alongside Tord Boontje, of the V&A’s Grand Entrance crystal Christmas tree in 2003; and the dramatic Swarovski Gemstone-encrusted Bird’s Nest Headdress for his Autumn/Winter 2006 collection. Swarovski has worked with designers since Daniel Swarovski’s precision-cut crystals became much-valued ingredients in the dressmaking ateliers of Paris, beginning the tradition of close collaboration between Swarovski and haute couture that remains to this day.

Looking at the innovations of Swarovski’s new collection for Spring/Summer 2016, Swarovski focuses the direction of its design innovations on the human quest for happiness, strength,  hope and fulfilment, and the importance of visual representation as a way of expressing these desires. 

Four sub-themes for Spring/Summer 2016 have been identified, with their corresponding crystal innovations: The Blossoming of Happiness (Classic); The Nature of Strength (Progressive); The Mythology of Hope (Romantic); The Power of Belief (Glamour).

Swarovski has attributed the season’s inspiration to simply “Between Heaven and Earth”, featuring a collection of loose crystal assortment of cuts, colours, effects and line extensions, 

  THE MYTHOLOGY OF HOPE (Romantic) is another of Swarovski's theme for Spring/summer 2016.

Modern yet mythological, romantic design takes its influence from ancient Greek goddesses, folkloric winged creatures, and the soft dappled light of dawn and dusk. 

The two photos above are among the inspirational images provided by Swarovski from their new Spring Summer 2016 collection.  I have included them here because to me they seem to embody the spirit of McQueen, who is regarded by many not only as a maverick designer, but also an artist.  The Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A is a celebration of McQueen's life's work, his talent, skills and creativity that elevated him above the rest of his generation.