Did the Bunny escape?

Today I was shocked to see newly relaunched X factor reject Diana Vickers wearing this Peter Jenson masterpiece on a recent promotional tour.  Kudos to her stylist, but you can pay a mere £4 to see exactly the same piece in the slightly more whimsical setting of the Drawing Room in Linley Sambourne House.  

We have a specialist fashion afternoon coming up this Friday, the 14th, between 3 and 5pm, please drop in and meet the FHT collective who will be more than happy to enlighten you about this dress, as well as a plethora of other pieces from Alexander McQueen, Marios Schwab, Mary Kantrantzou and Stephen Jones amongst others.  See you there!

RJV

Where Have You Been?

A little quiet on the blog front of recent, but definitely not without good reason!

After months of our hard graft we are incredibly proud to say that Fashionably curious is finally up and running and very much open to the public.

You can read our first reviews from Acne and Fashion 156 here and here (thanks guys, you are too kind!)

Check the side bar on the right for all opening times and visiting information.

A massive huge thank you to absolutely everyone who helped us out. It couldn't have been done if it wasn't  for all your hard work and support.

We hope to see you there!

Is that you, Goofy?

With Sambourne's delicious nature after fashion series of illustrations, he morphs women into animals through what he saw as ridiculous fashionable apparel of the time.  This month Elle Espana takes a leaf out of Linley's book, then reverses it, to morph some of today's most recognisable designers into a few of the most well loved Disney characters.  With all the talk of minimal dressing and a palette of nudes coming our way for the next six months, it comes as a relief that the Disney characters have ignored the Spring/Summer rules for 2010 and just embodied a signature style instead.  Donald Duck perfectly portrays the spirit of the CSM trained Galliano, whilst Goofy is unrecognisable as the first knight of contemporary fashion, Don Lagerfeld.

RJV.

Images courtesy of Coco Perez.

An Interview with Lord Snowdon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p006r273

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See Through

From this Zoo Magazine and most definitely not the other. Filthy!

J.

Long Live McLaren

With the passing of Malcolm McLaren late last week, the first thing that sprung into my mind was the SEX t-shirt he created in the mid 70s with Vivienne Westwood.  Although the Westwood-McLaren partnership was not to last, the now iconic reappropriated use of cowboy illustrations on these early tees would have been right up Linley's street.  With tongue firmly in cheek, it echoes a similar feel to Sambourne's more risque works, not to mention it cemented Westwood's now famous legacy for controversy through historical referencing. 

A thank you from the FHT collective Malcolm, for the creativity and commitment to the cause in establishing the most shocking and influential subculture this country has ever seen.  Today it is not God Save the Queen, but rather Long Live McLaren and the legacy of punk.

RJV

SunShowers

Diane Pernet of A Shaded View of Fashion in collaboration with Vogue Italia presents 

'Fred Butler: SunShowers' 

Fred Butler is one of the contributors to the Fashionably Curious exhibition

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♂♂♂

Not enough menswear on the blog, I say.

Some recent CSM graduates:

2007

Jae Hwan Kim (MA Fashion)

2008

Xiao Xiao Dong (BA Fashion)

2009

Kye (BA Fashion)

Wonder what 2010 has in store for us...

M.

Oliver Messel Suite at the Dorchester

In 1953, Oliver Messel, the grandson of Marion Sambourne and Edward Linley of 18 Stafford Terrace, was commissioned to design the interior of a suite in the Dorchester Hotel in London. It is said that the condition was that 'he would be happy to live in it himself.' True to his family's decor sensibility the suite is described to have a 'considerable dose of fantasy' and is today preserved as part of Britain's national heritage. It was restored in the 1980's by many of the original craftsmen and the restoration works were overseen by Oliver Messel's favorite nephew, Lord Snowdon. The suite is said to be and have been Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson's favourite place to stay in London.

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The House Legacy Part II

Oliver Messel was one of the most noted set and costume designers in the UK in the 20th century as well as being the maternal grandchild of Marion Sambourne and Edward Linley of 18 Stafford Terrace. He was educated at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College and proceeded to design the masks of a ballet production by Serge Diaghilev. During the 30's, 40's and 50's, he enchanted the British audiences by his 'fantastic and romantic' sets and costumes, until in his mid-50's when he went on a holiday to the Caribbean and discovered a love for 'designing, building and transforming homes.' He passed away there at the age of 74 in 1978. Some examples of his set and costume designs.

Oliver Messel working on Gloriana costume V&A images

Oliver Messel with his sister Anne, Countess of Rosse (Lord Snowdon's mother) 

1932, Brighton Museum.

Margot Fonteyn's Sleeping Beauty costume by Oliver Messel 

for the opening of Covent Garden after the war

photograph: Sarah Lee (Guardian)

Le Nozze de Figaro by Mozart

Glyndebourne Festival Opera 1958

Set and Costume Design by Oliver Messel

Vivian Leigh (Scarlet in Gone With the Wind) in Cesar and Cleopatra 1945

costume design by Oliver Messel

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