Fashion Sunday - Part 2 - Valentino: Master of Couture

Apologies for the delay in posting the second half of my Fashion Sunday update. It has been rather an eventful (but very exciting!) week, which has meant that my blog has had to take a back seat. But back to the fashion loveliness!

The second exhibition that myself and Penny saw at Somerset House, was the much-anticipated 'Valentino: Master of Couture'. As soon as this was announced I knew that we just had to see it. The exhibition features 130 of Valentino's haute couture dresses, spanning the 50 years of his career, including many iconic dresses such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis' wedding dress and the black and white gown that Julia Roberts wore to accept her Oscar.

Photo: PA Photos

The design of the exhibition turned the tables on the standard catwalk setup, with the viewer walking the catwalk to view the designs being worn by the mannequins sat on the white Louis XV chairs. The white backdrop and chairs allowed you to really focus on Valentino's exquisite creations in all their glory. I loved how the dresses are clustered in themes, e.g. 'animal print'; 'lace', which allows you to see some of the themes running through Valentino's work, as opposed to focusing on which dress came first. If you were in any doubt of Valentino's dedicated celebrity following, then the name tags on the chairs would remind you that his clientele list reads like a 'Who's Who' of Hollywood, past and present - Audrey Hepburn; Julia Roberts, and many more.

Photo: Peter MacDiarmid

I loved the combination of the hand-painted coral design on this dress from 1969, together with the simple shape and structure,

One of (if not the) highlights of the exhibition is the wedding dress of Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. The dress, created in 1995, took 25 seamstresses four months to make, and reportedly cost £225,000. The simple presentation of the dress allows you to really focus on the design and detail of the dress, which includes a 4.5m train and uses 12 different types of lace.

Photo: Peter MacDiarmid

One of the unexpected delights of the exhibition was the section showing videos of the seamstresses (or the "ragazze") at work. As someone who struggles with sewing a hem, I was in awe at the skill of these women. It was great to see the films alongside the pieces being created.

I absolutely loved this exhibition and am very tempted to pay another visit before it closes in March 2013. Have you been or are you planning on going? I would love to know your thoughts.

Fashion Sunday - Part 1 - Tim Walker: Storyteller

Yesterday, I spent a fabulous, if very busy day up in London with the lovely Penny, my friend who I met on Twitter via a shared love of all things fashion (and especially Chanel) -related. We had a busy agenda for what we had dubbed #FashionSunday, with four exhibitions on our 'to-see' list. Our first stop was Somerset House, for two very different, but equally fabulous exhibitions: Tim Walker: Storyteller, and Valentino: Master of Couture.

I don't want the post to be too picture-heavy, so this post will be about the Tim Walker exhibition. I have previously blogged about my love for Tim Walker's photography, but the exhibition surpassed even my expectations. The way that his work was presented alongside the giant props that he uses in his work (eg. a giant spitfire) just added to the surreal experience that his photographs convey. At times it felt like having stepped into one of his photographs. It is safe to say that the weird and wonderful world of Tim Walker is most definitely my kind of place!

The exhibition, which is free, is on until 27 January, so if you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend it.

Here are some images from the exhibition, quite a few of which I hadn't previously seen before. I would love to know which are your favourites.

Exhibition Alert! Tim Walker: Story Teller

Another day, and another exhibition is announced that will be a must-see for me! Somerset House have announced that they will be holding an exhibition of fashion photographer, Tim Walker's work: 'Tim Walker: Story Teller'. In addition to the photographs there will also be installations and a selection of the extraordinary props and models on show, e.g. giant grotesque dolls for Italian Vogue and an almost life-size replica of a Spitfire fighter plane.

I love Tim Walker's photographs. They are alway extravagant and original, and are characterised by a sense of humour and vibrancy, combined with fairy-tale elements. I have a poster of his 'Dress Lamp Tree' image in my bedroom, and his work is always the first thing to jump out of me when I look back through my past copies of 'Vogue' (I was recently given a 4 year archive of the magazine, from 2006-2010).

Somerset House will also be hosting a series of events including a 'In Conversation With' session with the photographer himself, and workshops with some of the set designers and prop builders. Further details will be announced in early September. I can't wait!

Here are some of my favourite Tim Walker images: