#ThrowbackFashion Evening dress, black silk velvet with diamante and pearl collar, by Catherine Walker @CatwalkerCo, UK, 1994

Posted on November 6, 2014November 4, 2014 Posted in Fashion, The 14th year of the 3rd millennium, ThrowbackFashionTagged 1945, 1994, black, Catherine Walker, collar, diamante, Diana, Evening dress, Evening wear, fashion, pearl, Princess of Wales, silk, UK, United Kingdom, Velvet, velvet weave, Women's clothesLeave a comment

Evening dress, 1994
Catherine Walker born 1945

This evening dress, made in 1994 by the London couturier Catherine Walker, shows her use of glamour and restrained luxury. Rich, black silk velvet is cut and sewn into a perfect full-length backless sheath suspended from a pearl and diamanté yoke. Both the clinging gown and the Art Deco style jewelled collar were inspired by 1930s evening fashion, but the design is brought wholly up-to-date for 1994 with a dramatic diamanté pendant down the bared back.

This combination of regal elegance and unexpected sparkle clearly shows why Diana, Princess of Wales, favoured dresses by Catherine Walker for nearly fifteen years. The V&A collection also includes the famous pearl-encrusted ‘Elvis’ dress that Catherine Walker made for the Princess in 1989. (see T.1:1&2.2006)

Here are some creative projects that inspire me in Victoria and Albert Museum Archive. You can see other projects on my Pinterest or on my #ThrowbackFashion.

Treasures of the Maharajas: The Dazzling Al-Thani Indian Jewelry Collection (forbes.com)
The Appraisal: New York’s Bald Spots: Missing Roof Decorations Are Being Restored and Recreated (rss.nytimes.com)
New York’s Bald Spots: Missing Roof Decorations Are Being Restored and Recreated (nytimes.com)
Dorothy’s pinafore, Darth Vader’s cape, Marilyn’s billowy dress ï¿½ they’re all part of ‘Hollywood Costume’ (sacbee.com)
Iain Sinclair: London’s Lost Cinemas (lrb.co.uk)
First Ladies, Red Carpets: Oscar de la Renta’s Iconic Looks (nbcnews.com)
Bridal Beauty Style (styleontheside.com)
Kimono’s evolution reflects changing Japan (observer-reporter.com)
Soulland Spring/Summer 2015 “Deco” Lookbook (selectism.com)
Writing inspirations – deco dreaming (mjwrightnz.wordpress.com)

#ThrowbackFashion Kiss of death, black satin bonnet with pheasant feathers, designed by Jo Gordan, Britain, 1994

Posted on October 23, 2014October 18, 2014 Posted in Fashion, Inspirations, The 14th year of the 3rd millennium, ThrowbackFashionTagged 1967, 1994, Aberdeen, Accessories, Albert Museum Archive, black, Bladel, bonnet, Britain, Buckingham Palace, Caribbean, El Lissitzky, fashion, feathers, Grays School of Art, Great Britain, Hats & headwear, Hood (vehicle), Jo Gordan, Kiss of death, London, pheasant feathers, Pinterest, Ray Bradbury, satin, satin weave, Shutterstock, Textiles, Victoria, Victoria and Albert Museum, Wall Street Journal, Women's clothes, youtubeLeave a comment

Kiss of Death – Bonnet, 1994
Jo Gordan, born 1967

Jo Gordon has taken the traditional structure of a poke bonnet to extremes. The long, menacing feathers project forward over two feet in a tunnel-like brim, which almost obscures the face. Gordon initially trained as a fine artist, studying sculpture at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. She then undertook a two-year millinery course at the Royal College of Art. After 1995 Gordon branched out into knitwear, an area in which she continues to specialise and experiment.

Dimensions
Height: 170 mm, Width: 240 mm, Depth: 700 mm

Here are some creative projects that inspire me in Victoria and Albert Museum Archive. You can see other projects on my Pinterest or on my #ThrowbackFashion.

old fiesta (pre 2010 models) insulation material on underside of bonnet cover (team-bhp.com)
Makita 743403-A Polishing Bonnet (bodyrepairtools.nuonly.com)
Delta RP51503 Bonnet Nut (kitchensinkaerators.ladycuff.com)
Under a Golden Sphere (Haiku) (blogitorloseit.com)
Seed Stitch French Baby Bonnet Knitting Pattern (wattspublishinggroup.com)
HONDA Civic 6th EK Ferio Spokon style air duct bonnet fog lamp bumper (japspirit.com)
Cooking with Scotch Bonnet – Caribbean Food Made Easy – BBC (onlinevideoschool.org)
Homemade Holiday Gifts and Tags… (soapboxcreations.blogspot.com)
Utah readies for pheasant season with release of 11,000 birds (usguntimes.com)

#ThrowbackFashion Evening dress ‘Bird’s Wing’ of white silk taffeta, designed by Antony Price, England, 1986

Posted on September 25, 2014September 18, 2014 Posted in Fashion, The 14th year of the 3rd millennium, ThrowbackFashionTagged 1945, 1986, Antony Price, Bird's Wing, Bodice, Clothing, collection, Dress, England, Evening dress, Evening wear, fashion, Pinterest, silk, silk taffeta, taffeta, Victoria, Victoria & Albert Museum, white, Winter, Women's clothesLeave a comment

Bird’s Wing
Antony Price, born 1945

Closely swathing the figure, the silk taffeta of this dramatically structured garment is formed into large, irregular gathers diagonally positioned across the front. These culminate in an asymmetrical bodice, with an extraordinary, gravity defying shoulder extension. Designer Antony Price called this his ‘Bird’s Wing’ dress; the rigid folds of fabric with their feathered and serrated edge evoke associations of flight and movement. It was designed for his 1986 Winter collection.

The simple, white taffeta, with its glossy, reflective sheen offsets the complex structure of the garment. The designer’s choice of a stiff fabric allows the raised folds to retain their shape and make the dress virtually self-supporting. The folds are held in place by large, self-covered buttons which secure the dress at the side, and also provide an important visual motif. In contrast the back is quite plain, a simple bodice with a single shoulder strap and a straight, skirt fitted with darts into the waist seam.

Here are some creative projects that inspire me in Victoria and Albert Museum Archive. You can see other projects on my Pinterest or on my #ThrowbackFashion.

Martin Margiela S/S97 Dress Form Top Wannabe (overflowingstash.wordpress.com)
Three Decorative Styles of Bodices and Hems for Flower Girl Dresses (wallao.com)
#ThrowbackFashion Evening dress in chiné-printed and embroidered silk taffeta and lace, and machine-lace sleeve, designed by Christian Lacroix @Maison_Lacroix, Paris 1996 (duccnguyen.wordpress.com)
Yoke Top (cutoutandkeep.net)
Fashion Week: Most beautiful, bizarre looks (edition.cnn.com)
Have It Your Way Dress (cutoutandkeep.net)
Butterick 5917 – The Un-Preppy Version (goodbyevalentino.com)
sewn: (belated) wedding guest dress (aviewintomyworld.wordpress.com)
Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein crown NY Fashion Week (news.yahoo.com)
#ThrowbackFashion Organdie strapless dress ‘Seashell’ with a flared asymmetrical skirt, designed by John @GallianOfficial, Great Britain, 1988 (duccnguyen.wordpress.com)

#ThrowbackFashion Evening dress in chiné-printed and embroidered silk taffeta and lace, and machine-lace sleeve, designed by Christian Lacroix @Maison_Lacroix, Paris 1996

Posted on September 11, 2014September 7, 2014 Posted in Fashion, Inspirations, The 14th year of the 3rd millennium, ThrowbackFashionTagged 1951, 1996, acidic, Albert Museum Archives, autumn, Christian Lacroix, elaborate decoration, Elsa Schiaparelli, Embroidery, Evening dress, Evening gown, Evening wear, fashion, Fashion show, Formal wear, France, Haute couture, Haute Couture Collection, historical styles, Karl Lagerfeld, Lace, Lacroix, London, machine-lace, Metropolitan Museum of Art, ornate textiles, Paris, Paris fashion shows, Pinterest, silk, Sleeve, taffeta, Victoria, Victoria & Albert Museum, Vogue, Women's clothes1 Comment

Evening dress and sleeve
Christian Lacroix, born 1951

This spectacular dress was given to the Victoria and Albert Museum very shortly after its first appearance on Lacroix’s catwalk in the autumn 1996 Paris fashion shows.

Christian Lacroix opened his haute couture house in 1986. His luxurious fashions, typified by this hooped evening dress, reflect an abiding passion for historical styles, ornate textiles, and elaborate decoration, all of which he translates in a contemporary idiom.

In a striking palette of acidic yellow and pastels, the dress forms part of Lacroix’s “18th-Century Haute Couture Collection,” which draws on a wide range of pre-1968 fashion references. Lacroix describes this collection as elegant and slightly dishevelled: “Nothing seems to be held in place. The fabric is wrapped. It pirouettes around obstinately asymmetrical necklines.”

Place of Origin: Paris, France (made)
Date: 1996 (designed)
Artist/maker: Lacroix, Christian, born 1951 (designer)
Materials and Techniques: Chiné-printed silk taffeta and lace, embroidered with sequins, pastes and beads
Dimensions: [Evening dress] Length: 150 cm, Circumference: 70 cm bust, Circumference: 62 cm waist, Circumference: 170 cm hoop, maximum

Here are some creative projects that inspire me in Victoria and Albert Museum Archives. You can see other projects on my Pinterest or on my #ThrowbackFashion.

Lacroix to Design Special Collection for Schiaparelli (runway.blogs.nytimes.com)
The Gorgeous Haute Couture by Abed Mahfouz 2015 (fashiondivadesign.com)
Paris Haute Couture autumn/winter 2013 (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
Hotels for Fashion Week (foxnews.com)
Paris Haute Couture: Chanel spring/summer 2013 (dailyrecord.co.uk)
Adriana Lima Rocks the Desigual Spring 2015 Runway Show (fashiongonerogue.com)
Couture history goes under the hammer at Christie’s (guardian.co.uk)
You: How Christian Lacroix Went Bust (newsweek.com)
Christian Lacroix Brings Elsa Schiaparelli Back to Life (thefashionistyle.com)
Christian Lacroix: ‘I am not nostalgic for the past’ (guardian.co.uk)

#ThrowbackFashion Organdie strapless dress ‘Seashell’ with a flared asymmetrical skirt, designed by John @GallianOfficial, Great Britain, 1988

Posted on August 28, 2014August 27, 2014 Posted in Fashion, The 14th year of the 3rd millennium, ThrowbackFashionTagged 1960, 1988, 20th century, Archives, Bodice, boned, Charles Dana Gibson, Cotton, Dress, fashion, Gibson Girl, Great Britain, John Galliano, London, Medium (TV series), Metropolitan Museum of Art, organdie, Pinterest, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, Seashell, Seashell Dress, shells, Skirt, Textile, Victoria, Victoria and Albert Museum, Wedding dress, Women's clothes1 Comment

Seashell Dress, 1988
John Galliano, born 1960

John Galliano is celebrated for his ingenious approach to dress design. Evoking the crisp and sculptural qualities of scallop shells, this dress has a circular petal skirt composed of concentric rows of overlapping and meandering bands of bias-cut organdie. The strapless, boned bodice is relieved by a deep cummerbund of checked cotton.

Physical description
White organdie strapless dress with a flared asymmetrical skirt. Accessorised with a green and white checked cotton sash. Bias cut organdie with boned bodice.

Materials and Techniques
Bias cut organdie with a boned bodice and cotton sash

Here are some creative projects that inspire me in Victoria and Albert Museum Archives. You can see other projects on my Pinterest or on my #ThrowbackFashion.

Photo: collections.vam.ac.uk