'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' Exhibition Comes to London

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibition finally hits the UK on 9th April at London's Barbican centre. I saw this fabulous show when it was on at the Brooklyn Museum in December and heartily recommend it to anyone who loves fashion, the art of couture construction and/or Madonna fans.

Beautiful Ballgowns: V&A's British Glamour Since 1950 Exhibition Is Not To Be Missed

By now I'm sure you've all heard about the incredible Ballgowns exhibition which opens at the V&A this Saturday and seen all the twitpics of exquisite frocks from the likes of Giles Deacon, Ossie Clark, Marchesa and Gareth Pugh.  I'm not sure I've seen anyone post images of my favourite from the exhibition though which is this phenomenal silk satin Cindy Beadman number pictured here with matching jacket from the late 1970s. I appreciate the way she's combined evening chic with a snuggly, quilted style that doesn't look out of place today.  In fact, I wish I had this outfit so badly so I could wear it with these shoes.

With over sixty showstopping looks designed for the likes of balls, society and red carpet events, I can't recommend this stunning exhibition highly enough; the wonderful collection catalogues the rise of glamorous formal wear and charts its social influences - do stop and watch the old films showing early society girl catwalks which are projected onto the white walls of the exhibit's inner circle. It's more than worth a tenner of anyone's money.  

Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 19th May 2012 - 6th January 2013 - for more information and to book tickets visit: www.vam.ac.uk 

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY: CARMEN - A LIFE IN FASHION EXHIBITION (16/11/11 – 14/01/12)

Ali Mahdavi, 2011

The new exhibition, Carmen - A Life In Fashion which opens on 16th November at the London College of Fashion's Fashion Space Gallery is a must see for anyone who loves good old fashioned glamour.  Curated by the legendary illustrator and close friend of Carmen, David Downton (he of the beautiful, iconic fashion illustrations which have been brought to a wider audience in recent years through their use on greetings cards and for High Street names like M&S, Fenwicks and H&M - you can't fail to recognise one of DD's drawings), this exhibition is the first major photographic retrospective of the 80 year old supermodel, Carmen Dell'Orefice, who was discovered at just 13 on the bus on her way to her ballet lesson.  This selection of stunning images from some of the most internationally respected fashion photographers should give you a small taste of what's in store but do visit the Fashion Space Gallery website for more images and further details about the exhibition.

New York, 1947

Paris, 1957

Norman Parkinson, the Bahamas, 1959

Tim Peterson, 2010

Tim Peterson, 2010

Images courtesy of www.fashionspacegallery.com 

DIARY DATE: LOUBOUTIN'S FIRST UK RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION

Litigious WAG fav Christian Louboutin has kindly announced that he will be launching his first ever UK retrospective next March to celebrate my birthday.  OK so that's not strictly true, it's to mark his 20 year anniversary in the luxury footwear industry, but the date couldn't be closer, taking place at London's Design Museum from 28th March to 1st July 2012.

According to the press release the exhibition which will be created by the team behind the interior of Shoreditch House and the Christian Louboutin pop-up at Selfridges, will include "an in-depth insight into the design process, detailing how the shoe is made from beginning to end with a special focus on the origins of the trademark red sole. Visitors also get to find out how the brand approaches sales, store design and marketing, as Louboutin famously does not advertise."  Intriguing stuff, though personally I'm more interested in whether there will be any Mad Mary Janes (above) in a size 41 going spare/left unguarded. 

For more details keep an eye on the Design Museum or Christian Louboutin websites.