Well, what a wait for a blog. I'm sorry - it's just what with the WEATHER, I've found more to do inside - and I've found some stunning things to see.
Rae and I went to see The House of Victor and Rolf at the Barbican the other Sunday. I love getting lost in the Barbican - lots of fab modern architecture - and turn a corner and you find a botanical garden - or a library - or a lovely bar! We had planned to have a drink by the fountain, but nature intervened, and we went straight into what I have to say was one of the best exhibitions I've been to in a very long time.
There's a problem with fashion exhibitions which is that they do so tend to be so very static. Clothes, after all are designed to be ‘worn’, and if they are simply popped onto mannequins, the show could be akin to a long shop window. Victor and Rolf have avoided this by draping their creations on slightly larger than life dolls! All the collections exhibited are also recreated in miniature in a giant dolls house at the heart of the exhibition! Now we were in our element - there's something about dolls houses that brings out the girlie in all of us! My dolls house was - err - functional - from the Early Learning Centre. Rachel had a Barbie home - the one WITH the lift - but Victor and Rolf's was something else. All in white, but with sweeping staircases, and each room held a different collection. To see the top floor, you had to sneak up some little steps and look through opera glasses!
Victor and Rolf are faves of Rae - they've been designing high-end conceptual fashion since 1993. I was surprised at how commercial they were. I'm trying not to plug Frock products ALL the time, but some of their sculptured pieces weren't a million miles away from pieces we sell - check out our big rosette tunic dress.
Of course like all catwalk shows the boys have gone 100% for effect. Dramatic corsages, built in violins, tops made of fruits, and fusions of French deuxieme empire - in l'Hiver de L'Armour, fashioned via PVC. There was some clever, clever tailoring with pieces being able to be worn upside down - as well as frocks with built in beds, which Rachel is going to buy me for those mornings-after-the-night-before!
Our favourite pieces/piece were the Russian Dolls - eight outfits each able to fit over the one before! From a slip to a heavily embroidered high collared coat! And as with most of the exhibits, there were large projectors playing the catwalk shows. With the Russian Dolls, the same model stood at the end of the catwalk on a turntable and Victor and Rolf themselves added each outfit. Some of the catwalk shows were wild - one was a disco of clumsy models with green hair, very reminiscent of the 70s!
I could go on and on - this show was mesmerising. I think it would also amuse the less fashion-crazed partner too - so if you get a chance, do pop over and have a look!