This summer we were a tourist again in London and it was glorious. We left the capital in 2016, needed a few years separation, then Covid kept us apart and this August we reignited our love affair. Our first fling was spending the day at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Right now, as well as all the incredible permanent collection, they have three exhibitions on show – all of which appealed to us! Whether it be:
Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear
Africa Fashion
Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature
…or simply imagining you are spying on Red, White & Royal Blue’s Henry & Alex’s private tour- the Victoria & Albert Museum has you covered.
Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear is a look back through the ages as to how men’s fashion has changed, progressed and in some ways even moved backwards. Gucci’s Alessandro Michele is quoted at the entrance saying, ‘In a patriarchal society, masculine gender identity is often moulded by violently toxic stereotypes.’ But this exhibition shows the more louder end of the spectrum featuring clothes by Thom Browne, Harris Reed and iconic ensembles worn by Harry Styles, Billy Porter & Timothée Chalamet.
Claire Wilcox and Rosalind McKever, co-curators of Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, said: “Masculine fashion is enjoying a period of unprecedented creativity. It has long been a powerful mechanism for encouraging conformity or expressing individuality. Rather than a linear or definitive history, this is a journey across time and gender. The exhibition brings together historical and contemporary looks with art that reveals how masculinity has been performed. This is a celebration of the masculine wardrobe, and everyone is invited to join in.”
We also learn how Queen Victoria was (un)surprisingly shocked by quite how naked Michaelangelo’s David actually was and subsequently a sizeable garland of fig leaves was commissioned to hide the goods. When it comes to flamboyance, our favourite topic, we get to see paintings of nobility from as far back as the 1700s who used colour to exhibit their wealth and power. We also loved the Queer Botany section which explored the idea of various flowers being associated with queer identities, both positively and negatively, with Oscar Wilde wearing the ‘unnatural’ green carnation to signal his sexuality.
A big shout out to the artwork of Luke Edward Hall too which has designed unique pieces for the exhibition. We promptly purchased all his products from the Victoria & Albert Museum shop.
The V&A is also currently shining a light on African designers, past and present. Documenting Africa Fashion from the mid-twentieth century to 2022 through photographs, textiles, music and the visual arts. The exhibition showcases 45 designers from over 20 countries.
Interesting seeing the origins of the African influence that became prominent in the 90s, particularly US fashion. And how we particularly loved seeing one of our favourite designers, Rich Mnisi getting his flowers and showcasing two of his pieces too!
Across contemporary couture, ready-to-wear, made-to-order and adornment, the exhibition also seeks to offer a close-up look at the new generation of ground-breaking designers, collectives, stylists and fashion photographers working in Africa today. It explores how the digital world accelerated the expansion of the industry, irreversibly transforming global fashions as we know them. We walked away having followed several new designers on Instagram.
Lastly one of our favourite memories of being young was always being gifted a different Beatrix Potter ceramic figure for our birthdays and Christmases by our Grandma Ford. In fact we returned to our childhood home in August and have brought back several of the figures to hide around our current home in Barcelona. You can take the gay out of England….
So we were super excited for a moment of nostalgia and insight into the life of Beatrix Potter and her not-so-talked about life as a conservationist in Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature. Growing up in London it wasn’t until she left the city that she began to imagine stories involving the countryside wildlife – stories of Jemima Puddleduck, Mrs Tiggwinkle and of course Peter Rabbit.
Annemarie Bilclough, Frederick Warne Curator of Illustration at the V&A said: “Beatrix Potter was a ‘town mouse’ longing to be a ‘country mouse’. Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature invites visitors to follow her journey from Victorian London to the Lake District fells. Many will be familiar with the extraordinary legacy of Potter’s storybooks, but in this exhibition they will discover how her talent at making her characters real emerged from a long-standing curiosity for the small details of nature, which could have led her down a different career path.
Being an independent publisher ourselves, it was interesting to read of how Beatrix began her books, pitched them to publishers and how each edition evolved as well as her need to be out of the city.
With three very different exhibitions currently on show as well as the stunning permanent collection, go get lost in the V&A this Autumn.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/
