What started
out as an innocent question “A, do you fancy going to the Hollywood Costume
exhibition at the V&A at Christmas??” turned into a marathon day of train
and tube travelling, exhibition visiting and a tiny bit of cheeky shopping…..but,
oh, what a day!
After taking
the first possible non-commuter train up to the Big Smoke, we arrived raring to
go…..but then A got her ticket stuck in the barriers and managed to sneak
through when C put her ticket in and left C on the other side of the barriers
trying to explain her ticket-less state to the Ticket Inspector. Red faces all round but we managed to
convince him of our undoubted innocence and away we went, straight into a queue
for topping up our Oyster cards (knew we should have done it online before we
went!) but managed to inadvertently queue jump when we were asked to form a new
queue for a recently opened machine – Yay!
Finally, we
were on the tube hurtling towards Ken High St and straight into another queue
at the V&A for the Hollywood Costumes (no tickets had been available online
before we went, one of the downsides of having to visit during holiday time)…..an
hour later (and I am quite proud of our ‘staying power’) we were the proud
possessors of two tickets for the 1.15pm slot.
Time then to pop into Chelsea for a quick spot of lunch before returning
for the
exhibition.
What an
awesome exhibition! So beautifully put
together, even the mannequins were works of art but didn’t detract from the
costumes, actually adding to the glamour. All C was bothered about was seeing
Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and she wasn’t
disappointed, the fact that they were displayed next to Marilyn ‘s original white
dress from ’Some Like It Hot’ was just a bonus, not to mention getting up close
and personal with Daniel Craig’s 007 tux!
We were both amazed at the sheer quantity and quality of the costumes on
display, some of them originals from 1930s films, right up to the present day,
through every genre of Hollywood movie…definitely hours well spent.
We then
caught the tube over to Somerset House for the Valentino CoutureExhibition. Staggering isn’t the
word! I still maintain it smelled of
money! Dress upon dress was on display
in the most amazing and beautiful ‘Catwalk’ arrangement. Although not to our taste, let’s face it,
when would we ever have the opportunity to even gaze upon a Valentino gown let
alone wear one? We were blown away by the sheer workmanship and beauty of the
dresses as works of art. We were
however, more interested in the display and step-by-step explanation of some of
Valentino’s signature textile processes.
An extraordinary exhibition.
We then went
on to the totally awesome and absolutely incredible exhibition of Tim Walker’sfashion photography. Unusual, these
days, it was a FREE exhibition and packed full of Walker’s brilliant, sometimes
dark, and quirky fashion shoots. Not
only were there rooms full of his photographs but also numerous examples of his
props, including a 12ft high skeleton, 10ft tall baby doll, swan boat and two
halves of a Spitfire!
After
leaving the exhibition and before leaving Somerset House, we watched the ice
skaters on the rink outside before visiting the Tatty Devine pop-up
shop…..well, it would have been rude not to!
After a couple of well deserved purchases (a Fishbone Necklace for C and
a Fox pendant for A) we retreated to the nearest coffee shop for a caffeine
shot before wending our way through the commuter traffic for a pizza before
catching the train home, exhausted but exceedingly happy with our day…..and our
purchases!
Thank you
Hollywood, Valentino, Tim Walker and Tatty Devine!
