The House of Dolls

I reported the V&F invasion into L-town about a month ago when I first started blogging. I was super excited about the designers exhibiting their work for the first time in the UK- and being the fashion dork I am booked my ticket way in advance. Having the Barbican Center- the space showing the V&F collections mention me as a critique on their site- has been one of my blogger gold star moments and made me even more excited to check out the exhibition.

The V& F curation was gorgeous and simple channeling their journey of 15 years. One of my favorite bits of the exhibition was their impatience to fulfill their childhood dreams, and the installation created called Launch which was a mini version of what they aspire for the future and an effect to making their dreams come true. Their vision of a studio, catwalk show, photo shoot, and boutique, all in miniature. They designed a miniature fictitious perfume in limited edition of 250 bottles that were sealed shut.

Some of my favorite pieces were images of the Viktor and Rolf Strike, their frustration over lack of exposure in the press.

The most astonishing of all pieces was the Doll's House. Over 2 floors high, and probably is the biggest doll house in the world, the massive structure was at the heart of the exhibition, and contained miniature replicas of all their signature pieces. Each doll was made up to look like the model who wore the dress.

The best part is peeping through the windows from behind the doll house,where I am allowed a moment of eerie intimacy with the dolls and a chance to see the exquisite details, of the bows running down the back of a wedding gown the designers created in 2003.

I manage to film the Russian Doll Piece A/A of 99/2000 , where one model wore the entire collection sequentially. The Long Live Immaterial (Bluescreen) piece was also filmed and equally innovative. Each space at the exhibition had signature pieces form their collections like Bells, Stars&Stripes, Ballroom, Flowers, accompanied with a projection show of the actual catwalk. The music and scenery, differed from room to room, but all were overwhelmingly breathtaking.

A little cheer from Red Riding Hood

I haaate that I haven't blogged in a while! I'm not usually the one to point fingers but I am blaming the fact that 1-My apartment was in a horrid mess since handing in my work which made me not want to hang around my place much. Thankfully it has been put in order yesterday so life can resume as normal. 2-In a hurry to get back to my waiting cab I accidentally shut my brand new laptop and shoved it in my tote to later discover I left a pen inside. So yeah you guessed it, broken screen. One round trip to Tottenham Court Road later I managed to find a dodgy looking techy store that will fix it for 150 pounds!

What a great way to start the summer. So meanwhile until I sort that out, blogging posts will be executed via random friends laptops and computers/internet cafe's/ and hopefully via my mobile phone. Am still trying to figure that one out. In the past week I have ranked a massive amount of blogging material onto my laptop that I cannot tap into so in my foul mood I walked past this intriguing costume by an MA costume designer featured in the XHBIT 08 at my uni's main building. The costume was inspired by Red Riding Hood. Clare Amos designed her 'Red Riding Hood' costume for an experimental costume led performance called 'Into the Woods'. The two-part costume depicts Red's journey from the innocent young girl entering the woods to the creature she becomes after escaping from the wolf. I loved the detailing on the back of the costume as well as the powerful images that accompanied the costume.



In its eleventh year, XHIBIT is a unique annual exhibition featuring artists in perhaps their most experimental and confrontational creative phase. The selection for XHIBIT 08 brings together sound design, film, ceramics, photography, drawing, illustration, product and graphic design, painting, sculpture, animation, and costume design. If you decide to pop in make sure you also pick up a free copy of the University of the Arts Student Union Glossy Magazine (wowa big title) Less Common More Sense. Or download it for free. Its a great magazine showcasing edgy articles and shoots on travel, art, designers, and fashion.

Fashion In Motion - Ma Ke

I know I’ve been bubbling about the V&A in the last few posts, but today’s post is a good one! This month must be my lucky month because not only was I able to snag tickets to this month’s Fashion in Motion but I was able to snag them to view one of the coolest designers from China, Ma Ke.

To those of you who have been reading my posts regularly, you will notice I have developed a love/passion for theatrical performances and musicals. Not only is Ma Ke all about the clothes, but she and alongside a growing number of designers are crossing over to using art, installation, and performance when showcasing their designs.

Let’s back space for a second so I can tell you a little bit about Fashion in Motion, one of London’s best kept secrets in fashion. Fashion in Motion is a series of catwalk shows brought by the V&A which features designs from the greatest fashion designers in the world. Fashion in Motion previously featured Manish Arora, Gareth Pugh, Christian Lacroix, Hardy Amies, and Ozwald Boatang. Fashion in Motion aims to bring catwalk couture to a wider audience, so people like me who are not part of the insider fashion crowd can meet with prolific designers and appreciate their designs up close.

Ma Ke is a high profile Chinese designer, who graduated in 1992 from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology who set up her own label four years later after she graduated. Her designs are a crossover of fashion and art. She established an artistic brand called Wuyong (Useless) in 2006 where she explores the concept of useless through contemporary art and fashion. But what really inspired me about Ma Ke is how she took Paris Fashion Week by storm when she presented her Wuyong collection for the first time. It’s very rare for a contemporary designer to be given a prime spot to show in Paris Fashion week and Ma Ke managed to nail her spot and cause quite the stir with her collection.

Today I was able to appreciate her Wuyong collection up close and personal. She didn’t opt for the regular catwalk stage but rather models were made to stand on large rectangular lit boxes. At first I didn’t know why but when I got close to the garments, I could see that they were extremely heavy and the models were barely holding themselves up. The dresses were made out of layers and layers of discarded items that created large balloon volumes which cascaded all the way down to the floor.

The garments were so heavy one of the younger models had to sit down on her box. But it’s only when I was able to touch the rich and heavy fabrics did I understand the big fuss over the collection during Paris Fashion week. I tried my best to capture the quality of the texture and the millions of layers that made the models work really hard to keep standing so still so I hope they can give you a feel of what it was like to be there.

Overall Fashion in Motion was a great experience as I haven’t seen such a textural and poetic collection put up against such a theatrical backdrop and I highly recommend you watch the Fashion in Motion space on their V&A website to see who they will be showing next. Fashion In Motion tickets are free but have to be booked in advance.

Afrika! Afrika!

Having seen the musicals Afrika! Afrika! and Lion King in the span of 2 weeks you can't help but get Afrika tribal wear fever! So even though I passed the chance to go to Gaucho's opening at the O2 center in North Greenwich I don't regret being inspired by colorful beaded and woven skirts, cloaks with elaborate motifs, and colorful jewelery made out of beads and copper for three hours. I especially liked the idea of double layered skirts, and multiple armbands with various prints! I have no idea how I would be able to pull it off without looking like the member of the plays cast but when I came across this weeks new collection from Net-a-Porter, I quickly put together an ensemble that I think shared that tribal spirit. Now if only Topshop made the exact same replica.

Dress on right:Dress (Christian Lacroix) Red high heels(Chloe)
Dress on Left:Silk tunic top (DKNY) Mini Skirt (By Malene Birger) Necklace (Kenneth Jay Lane)Knee Length Gladiator sandals (Topshop)

Afrika! Afrika! is showing until May 31st and is so worth seeing, its not Cirque du Soleil, but it comes pretty close. Minor tip though, the restricted seats don't really have restricted views so you can save about 20 pounds sitting there instead of the 60 pounds good ones.

You never get tired of the V&A

You’d think I would come out of the V&A museum gloating after seeing The Story of the Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection. But it was actually the Collaborators: UK Design for Performance show that really took my breath away. I was slightly annoyed at the 5 pound fare to see the display of costumes worn by The Supremes, one of the most successful groups in the sixties but after getting flustered and lost for about half an hour, somewhere in the back end of the museum I walked into rooms filled with set models, costumes, lighting, music, and sound installation. If you haven’t guessed it I am a major musical/theater junkie. What can I say, most people my age enjoy clubbing here in L-town, I enjoy performances!

Iconic dresses and images of the Supremes

Permanent Iconic Dresses in the Fashion Exhibit

Iconic Dresses- Moschino,Piano Dress By Chanel

Chanel and D&G

Princess Di's Dress is the one on the left

And it gets better. What I love most about the V&A is you can take pictures of everything because it has always been an educational museum. Thanks to Victoria and Albert. So there I was in Room 103 snapping away at the glorious set models, and beautiful sketches. I couldn’t take any pics of the Supreme costumes, but I think the ones I took of the theater sets are def better!

If you finally find room 103, be sure to check out Beatrix Potter’s beautiful sketches of Peter rabbit, next door. I saw the movie Miss Potter a while back and knowing more about her makes you appreciate the drawings. There are also letters written by Miss Potter to her publisher Mr. Norman Warne who was her dear friend and first love.

Other must see shows I’m planning on viewing are China Design Now, and talks by both Cornelia Parker, and Thomas Heatherwick. I know this post is jam packed filled with info, there is just so much to take in at the museum.