The beginning of fashion weeks looms - and today I started to feel the buzz. My good friend Laurel arrived today for the week and after a bit of lunch she needed to settle in and nap off her jet lag so I found myself with time to peruse my favorite museum in all of London - the Victoria & Albert. I only had a bit of time before our evening engagements so I headed straight for exhibit room 40 - my favorite of all. The Fashion wing. Fashion from 1750 - to Today. Please excuse the quality of the photos as the light was quite dim and museum glass causes a wretched reflection - but here is a smattering of a truly enjoyable exhibit of fashion through the ages of the 200+ years. My how fashions evolve - but one thing remains true....
Men's and Ladies evening Wear from the late 1700's
Men's and Ladies Evening wear from the 1920's
Day Dresses from typical London Style. The Green one dates from the 1800's. The 2 to the right date from 1912 and 1924 respectively.
A Suit by (and perhaps worn by) Lady Duff Gordon - renowned fashion designer and survivor of the R.M.S Titanic. - Circa 1913
Typical undergarments, bustle pads, corsets , cages and bustles worn by respectable women of fashion. Egad! How comfortable could any of this luxurious fashion bee - remembering that there were multiple layers on top of this of silk brocades, velvets, muslin etc - and of course no such thing as air conditioning. No wonder women were always suffering from "spells" of fainting!
Here we see the transition of men's undergarments. An undershirt from the mid 1800's - cut to Calvin Klein Boxer briefs of the mid 1990's. What a long way we have come - and so we move forward to fashions designers of the recent millennium.....
Catherine Walker Beaded Dress - 1989
Dame Vivienne Westwood - 1996 
Left - Alexander McQueen - 1995 Right Karl Lagerfield for Chanel "Piano Dress" 1999 both of London
Cristobal Balenciaga - 1967
Zac Posen - Leather and Metal - 2000
Posts
