I went to London last Friday in squalls of rain. When the appointment that I was in town for was over I stayed on the tube to South Kensington, and, avoiding the battle of umbrellas in the streets above me, took the underpass to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I studied at the museum in the sixties when I was an art student at Goldsmiths and it has been a favourite place to visit ever since. If I lived in London I would be signing up for their courses and workshops. I think that the museum is an absolute treasure trove.
I wandered in the quiet around some of my favourite rooms then went to have a peek in the fashion gallery. Some of the clothes are truly of a bye-gone era, impossible to wear today, such as this enormous hat from 1909 of plaited straw decorated with artificial wisteria flowers made of fine cotton.
But these scarlet shoes, dated 1900, look very of the moment, both in colour and style.
And the Christian Dior scarlet dress from the fifties, with it's matching petticoat, I would happily wear, given the chance!
When the displays reached the sixties and seventies I was on home ground; I have the same Biba catalogue and some of the clothes that it advertises.
Then.....
and now!
I used to have the matching long, fitted waistcoat and trousers, as seen in the catalogue, but they were unlined and the tweed was itchy so they are long gone! But I'm still hanging on to the rather battered hat and coat - if only for sentimental reasons!
(I didn't go to the 'Ballgowns, British Glamour since 1950' exhibition at the V&A. It's on until early January so I'm saving it up for next time. Unfortunately no photographing will be allowed. Another exhibition starting at the end of this month and running until next January is to be 'Hollywood Costume'. It is advertised as "over one hundred of the most iconic costumes in the history of film-making." Wow, it sounds a must-see!)
Fascinating exhibit! The shoes from 1900 do indeed look of-the-moment. And your hat-and-coat look smashing in your last photo. Thanks so much for sharing with Visible Monday.
ReplyDeleteDear Patti, I always enjoy Visible Monday, it gives a fascinating glimpse of what women are wearing all over the world - and what good weather the rest of you enjoy!)
DeleteOh my, people used to be so tiny! The waist on the Dior dress looks impossibly small. Your outfit is just as stylish now as it was then.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Debbie, the problem with vintage dresses is that the waists are tiny even when the rest of the dress fits like a dream. (I JUST fit into the 50's check dress that I bought in the summer but can't afford to gain another inch!)
DeleteI still have some special outfits from the late 60' and 70's that I have stored away all these years. There is no way I could ever get into them and even if i could, they are not designs that someone my age could get away with wearing.
ReplyDeleteRosemary, you look marvelous in that beautiful coat. How wonderful to have something so classic from the past.
Dear Starting Over, forget the 'my age' thing, I would love to have a peep at your 60's and 70's outfits. I hope you will take them out of storage and post them so that we can all reminisce!
DeleteThat is ultra cool how you still have that beautiful coat -and you can still wear it. Thanks for sharing these photos. That Dior dress makes me swoon. Like you, I would happily wear it. Good idea to hold on to that happy anticipation of your next visit.
ReplyDeleteI can see you in the Dior dress Melanie, possibly with biker boots!
DeleteMy my. When I was an American college student in the 70's, I did a semester abroad in London. When I discovered the V&A, and most especially the costume gallery. I was hooked! I spent the rest of the time wandering the floors of Biba and traipsing around all the lovely English parks and gardens. Needless to say, my grades were not the best that semester but I learned a lot about style! And you are very stylish! Thanks for taking me back for a while :)
ReplyDeleteConnie*
Just think, Connie, we were 'traipsing around' the same places in the 70's and may well have been shoulder to shoulder in the V&A or Biba! Lovely to hear your memories.
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