A Girl Needs a Gown

Perhaps it is all the talk of the Diamond Jubilee, or maybe it's because I've always longed for a proper gown. Not just a grown-up dress you understand but a gown worthy of Cinderella, Scarlet O'Hara etc.  I seem to be noticing 'proper' dresses all over the place at the moment.  In this month's Vogue there is a whole feature on the gown, including a telling quote from Julia Restoin Roitfield,

"When I attended the Bal des Debutante at the Hotel de Crillon last year, I had the opportunity to wear a ballgown but instead I went for the controversial option, a leopard-print Versace dress with a huge slit up the side.  I regret that now.  It was very glamorous and sexy, but I passed up the chance to wear a stunning ballgown in the real, old-fashioned sense.  For my generation, that opportunity doesn't come around very often."

Clearly my longing is in tune with the zeitgeist as shortly the V&A celebrates the opening of the newly renovated Fashion Galleries (which I have been PINING for) with an exhibition of beautiful ballgowns, red carpet evening dresses and catwalk showstoppers.  Displayed over two floors, Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 will feature more than sixty designs for social events such as private parties, royal balls, state occasions and opening nights.

State evening ensemble 'Elvis Dress' for Princess Diana by Catherine Walker, 1989

The exhibition will cover over sixty years of a strong British design tradition that continues to flourish. Evening wear from the V&A’s vast collection, by designers including Zandra Rhodes, Jonathan Saunders and Hussein Chalayan, will be on show alongside dresses fresh from the catwalk shows of Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Erdem and Jenny Packham.

Beaded silk satin gown by Norman Hartnell, 1953

A selection of royal ballgowns will be on display, including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s ‘Elvis Dress’ designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals. Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 will also include dresses worn by actresses and celebrities including Elizabeth Hurley, Bianca Jagger and Sandra Bullock, and a stunning metallic leather dress created especially for the exhibition by innovative designer Gareth Pugh.

Gown by Victor Edelstein, 1986. Worn and given by Lady Heseltine

Come on, if that isn't enough to entice you to get all dressed up, I don't know what is....I'm off to parade around my flat in an imaginary gown and leave you with a suitable gown/ princess clip from one of my all time favourite Disney films...

Watch Your Wallets - Sample Sale alert

You’re going to need a schedule to hit all of these goodies today: pick up some sculptured shoes, fluoro dresses, sexy under-garms, ready-to-wear Erdem, and a Lee Broom statement lighting piece all in a day’s work. For maximum benefit it would be good to have a stringent timetable and a willing chauffeur…also a ma-hoo-sive wad of cash.

• Nicholas Kirkwood, 10am-8pm (and Fri 8am-8pm), The Music Room, 26 South Molton Lane, W1K 5AB 
• Christopher Kane, 11am-9pm, Mercer Street Studio, 16 Mercer St, WC2H 9QE 
• La Perla, 10am-6.30pm, Hornvale Ltd, 22 Newman St, W1T 1PH 
• Erdem, 1-8pm (and Fri 10am-6pm), The Future Gallery, 5 Great Newport St, WC2H 7HY 
• Lee Broom, 3-9pm, 93 Rivington St, EC2A 3AY

DANGER (Sample Sale alert)

Potentially toxic for your wallet, awesome for your wardrobe. These bad boys are upon us or coming soon.  I'll see you at Christopher Kane...

 

Erdem 10 out of 10!

There were two sources of inspiration for this post, one being that it was the London Fashion Week show yesterday (more of that in a minute) and secondly, that I read a quote by the designer that made me want to high five the man. Now, I'm not going to wade into the size zero debate, suffice to say that yes I do believe that there are a high proportion of models that are ill and underweight but there are a proportion of models who are genetically predisposed to be tall and skinny and that's life! In an ideal world we would all be healthy, eat our five portions of fruit and veg a day, treat ourselves to the occasional pie and not go to the pub multiple times in a week but most of us mere mortals are fallible and at the end of the day, we all want to look good in what we wear which can be a problem with catwalk clothes as they aren't designed with 'normality' in mind.

"It's one thing to design a size-eight catwalk dress, it's another to make sure that dress will proportionally fit someone who is a size 16"

Yes Mr Erdem! Absolutely! What a skill to be able to produce clothes that a versatile enough to look good on everyone. The interview in The Guardian goes on to say... Unusually for a designer, Erdem's sizes go up to a 16. Does he think other designers are blinkered by not offering bigger sizes? "I don't know, it's not my place to say," he says, ever diplomatic. "It's a great thing when you see a dress you have designed and it works in different ways. It's one thing to design a size eight catwalk dress, it's another to make sure that dress will proportionally fit someone who is a size 16. I think it's great, I'm proud of it." And why should only size-eight women be able to buy beautiful clothes? "Exactly. And who are the women who buy designer clothes? If you're buying a dress for £4,000, chances are you might not be a size-six, 18-year-old girl." 

To the show..by all standards his most beautiful yet.  A radiant palette of colour mixing the stunning prints that he has become so known for with simpler dresses that explored texture. I would even consider the first one as an unconventional wedding dress!  With very many thanks to Vogue and style.com for this smattering of pictures. If you could have just one item, what would it be?