Victoria & Albert museum - London

Hello everybody!!

It's been a while since I last posted something on my blog and I really have to apologize. I have been very busy lately with my uni application (I got in!) and my house moving consequent to my successful application at uni here in England! So now i am officially writing my first post from my new home: Rochester, a ''sweet'' little (very quiet) place in Kent, England. Here is actually not that bad after all and I love the university (UCA Rochester). Moreover it ''only'' takes 40 mins by train to get to my beloved London, and I am trying to go there everytime I can.

At the same time I am trying to get used to this new lifestyle - this is the first time I live by myself so it's a brand new experience for me and I am finding it very interesting and helpful. I can really feel I am becoming an adult because I have to deal with everything by myself being not only alone in a different city, but alone in a different country!

Anyway I don't want to bore you all with my boring private life so here it is, this post's topic:

The Fashion Department at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

First of all let me say something: it is just amazing that you don't have to buy a ticket to get into this gorgeous museum so please leave a 1£ donation if you can because it supports the development and mantenaince of the V&A and it deserves it.

Now let's really get into the topic.

The Fashion department is very very interesting - most of all if you're interested in Fashion History and the development of the industry.

I found very original the way they put on display not only ancient garments as the ones you can see in the pictures I took (below), but also new designer's creations as some fascinating Alexander McQueen's masterpieces. Showing all of these in the same room allows you to actually connect the old garments to the new ones, understanding the importance they had and still have for designers.

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Now I will finally shut up and let the images speak for me :)

 

 

Elsa Schiaparelli - the woman and the designer.

Hi everybody!

Today I wanted to talk to you about one of the most prominent Italian designers of all times: Elsa Schiaparelli. Recently there has been a Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka: the Met Ball) and this year it was dedicated to two Italian fashion icons: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. We'll talk about the first one today:

Elsa Schiaparelli was - as we mentioned before - an Italian fashion designer (born in Rome in 1890). Along with Miss Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators Salvador Dalí and Alberto Giacometti. Her clients included the heiress Daisy Fellowes and actress Mae West.
Schiaparelli did not adapt to the changes in fashion following World War II and her business closed in 1954.
Elsa led a refined life with a certain amount of luxury provided by her parents’ wealth and high social status. She believed, however, that this luxury was stifling to her art and creativity and so she removed herself from the “lap of luxury” as quickly as possible. Schiaparelli moved first to New York City and then to Paris, combining her love of art and design to become a couturier.

40s and 50s Fashion

As I was telling you in the last post, foulards are the must-have of this season.They are incredible in conveying the moods of the wearer according to the colours and position chosen. I've always thought about the foulard as the canvas of a painting taken off its frame. I think it's a very poetic way of saying how effective this accessory is in filling the gap between fashion and art.

The beautiful Audrey Hepburn.

The enchanting Liz Taylor.

The charming Grace Kelly.

The foulard is an accessory that belongs to the 50s. Those were the years when this apparel somehow rocketed.
As a matter of fact, not only the foulard is becoming more and more a must-have, but also 40s and 50s fashions are rocking the runways.
40s and 50s style will be the unquestionable protagonist of this 2012 Spring/Summer!

So leave bare your shoulders, wear thight belts and high waisted trousers and skirts in order to get a thin waist, give the maximum importance to your curves ("Real women have curves!"). All of this to obtain the famous and classic hourglass line, the perfect female's body ideal of that time.
Make the most of your shape by wearing dress with moulded lines and shaping underwear.

Your hairstyle has to be very simple, and your hair must be soft and gathered up. Make use of foulards and cocktail hats.

Your makeup has to be quite thick, but at the same time it has to be very detailed. Your eyes have to be defined by black eye-liner, put some blush on your cheeks and red lipstick on your lips.

Typical Pin ups.

The beautiful Scarlett Johansson as a pin up.

Marylin Monroe and Jane Russel leaving their handprints and signing the cement.

So, what do you think about this "new" trend for 2012 S/S?

xoxo,

Valentina