Author Archives: Eliza Tan

Megan Glass reviews ‘Crown to Couture: The Fashion Show of the Centuries (5 Apr 2023 – 29 Oct 2023) at Kensington Palace. 

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Final year Fashion and Design History student Megan Glass reviews the exhibition ‘Crown to Couture: The Fashion Show of the Centuries’ (5 Apr 2023 – 29 Oct 2023) at Kensington Palace.

’Crown to Couture: The Fashion Show of the Centuries’ (5 Apr 2023 – 29 Oct 2023) at Kensington Palace – The Royal Courts meet the Hollywood Starlet in a Grand Exhibition

by Megan Glass

 

Kensington Palace hosts a glamorous new exhibition documenting the story of high fashion and occasion wear, through both the lens of the royal court, and of the modern-day media.

A tulle Giambattista Valli gown overlooks the balcony of the King’s Staircase, Kensington Palace, London, personal photograph by author, 11th August 2023.

A truly unique story of connections between royal court fashion and Hollywood couture come together in Crown to Couture: , hosted at Kensington Palace. The awe-inspiring selection of pieces draw parallels between ornate Georgian society and the glamour of modern-day Hollywood, whilst analysing differences among the respective societies and expectations of the time.

Connections to royal fashion have not surprisingly been established in Kensington Palace for as long as it has been inhabited in 1605, but the relatively new-found world of modern glitz, glamour and movie stars is something that the Palace had yet to explore, which allows for a new spin on the historic venue. In many areas, the interior of the palace itself aides in telling the narrative of high court fashion, and the social implications of this style of dressing. In others, the King’s Gallery for example, the placing of modern designs amongst the grand rooms calls for some reflection regarding the differences and advancements in design since the Georgian period.

Moschino ensemble worn by Katy Perry at the 2019 Met Gala, Kensington Palace, London, personal photograph by author, 11th August 2023.

The exhibition opens with an introduction to ‘Old Hollywood’. In the centre of the room stands a glass case displaying the beloved dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday and later, to win Best Actress at the Oscars in 1954, with an Oscar placed alongside it. This dress, which would be considered close to something modern royals may wear today, still manages to wildly contrast the Georgian Spitalfields mantua dress, the oldest complete court gown in history, in which it’s pannier causes the dress to billow out from the hip. These two dresses, both equal in fame and cultural importance, manage to contrast each other in ways that continue throughout the rest of the exhibition.

For visitors of the exhibition, adult tickets retail at £25.40 and cover the entirety of Crown to Couture as well as access to other exhibited areas of the Palace, Victoria: A Royal Childhood for instance, which offers some more context surrounding the estate and its various historical purposes itself. The darkness of the rooms works to help preserve the garments in a way that will cause the least amount of damage possible, but the integral pieces of information regarding each ensemble remains highlighted. This is done through the use of lighted text panels placed on podiums, which provide a concise amount of knowledge whilst displaying in a way that avoids covering any aspect of the intricate interior of the palace.

It must be stated however, that these panels may be hard to find access to during busy viewing slots and may also be missed if not given the space the stand directly in front of, and then read. Panels belonging to particularly popular garments, such as Beyoncé’s 2017 Grammy Awards ensemble could unintentionally be missed if too crowded, which could potentially result in a lack of context surrounding the garment, if no prior knowledge had been acquired.

A tulle Giambattista Valli gown overlooks the balcony of the King’s Staircase, Kensington Palace, London, personal photograph by author, 11th August 2023.

Whilst moving further on into the collections, a plethora of gowns are displayed, with some taking inspiration from royal fashion itself like the 2020 Jeremy Scott’s Moschino dress, and Lizzo’s Thom Browne dress worn to the 2022 Met Gala. Despite these contemporary design references to historical royal dress, there is a definite lack of modern royal fashions in the exhibition. From the title Crown to Couture, audiences may expect to see more pieces from the royal wardrobe that were worn in the past hundred years. This may disappoint some who find themselves more invested in this subject area, as opposed to the clothes of modern A-listers. With this being said, the exhibition gathers a spectacular range of modern couture gowns, most notably from events like the Met Gala, the Oscars and the ‘Big 4’ fashion weeks from around the globe, most notably Billy Porter’s “Sun God” look for the 2022 Met Gala, or the luminous Christopher John-Rogers gown worn by Lady Gaga for the 2020 MTV Awards.

This vast and grand exhibition manages to blend the societies of royal courts and Hollywood together, creating a unique experience for any who appreciate the intricacies of couture, as well as the changes that modern society has undergone in the past several hundred years.

 

Sources Cited

Bromley, Joe. “Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace review: Heaven for devotees of the A-list, past and present.” Evening Standard. 30th March 2023. https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/exhibitions/crown-to-couture-at-kensington-palace-review-beyonce-kendall-jenner-timothee-chalomet-b1070989.html

Bridger-Linning, Stephanie. “Georgian glamour meets modern red carpet royalty in opulent new Kensington Palace exhibition.” Tatler. 7th February 2023. https://www.tatler.com/article/crown-to-couture-exhibition-kensington-palace

Cary, Alice. “A New Exhibition at Kensington Palace Charts Regal Style on the Red Carpet.” Vogue. 30th March 2020. https://www.vogue.com/article/crown-to-couture-exhibition-kensington-palace

Starbuck, Lydia. “Red carpet and royalty make perfect partners at Kensington Palace’s new exhibition, Crown to Couture.” Royal Central. 4th April 2023. https://royalcentral.co.uk/features/red-carpet-and-royalty-make-perfect-partners-at-kensington-palaces-new-exhibition-187846/

Avery Chamberlain reviews the ‘Women Dressing Women’ exhibition at The Met

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Final year Fashion and Design History student Avery Chamberlain reviews The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ‘Women Dressing Women’ exhibition (Dec. 7 2023 – Mar. 10 2024). 

‘Women Dressing Women’: Subversion, Compliance and The Condition of The 21st Century Fashion Exhibition

Avery Chamberlain

Fig. 1: View of “Women Dressing Women” Exhibition, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Personal photograph by author. 21 Dec. 2023.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Autumn/Winter 2023 Costume Institute Exhibition Women Dressing Women (Dec. 7 2023 – Mar. 10 2024) curated by Melissa Huber and Karen Van Godstenhoven, in their own words, aims to “…celebrate the artistic legacy of female fashion designers by showcasing innovative and enduring garments created by well-known, anonymous, and overlooked women makers.[1]” This long overdue discussion of female creativity in the canon of fashion history is the first of its kind for The Met, whose own costume institute carries a long lineage of women in fashion. While it succeeds in telling stories often unknown and overlooked by audiences and fellow institutions alike, some aspects of the experience left something to be desired. First and foremost, the layout of the exhibition space attempts to divide the space based on four keystones representing the struggle of women designers: Anonymity, Visibility, Agency, and Absence/Omission[2].  However, the use of exhibition space was faultily executed and created audible confusion among visitors. Upon entering the Tisch Gallery of the Anna Wintour Costume Center, a space which requires visitors to locate a staircase and descend below the museum’s ground floor, the first visible section on the right-hand side is labelled ‘II: Visibility’ (Fig. 1). This requires visitors to instead turn left to view ‘I: Anonymity’, retrace their steps to return to section two, and retrace their steps yet again to locate section three.  Faults in accessibility, such as the ones present in this space, can sacrifice the audience’s well-being as a result of the design choices made. The visitor is inadvertently confused which can cause frustration, “inferiority and submissiveness” in the space, as psychologist Anita Rui Olds described it in the Journal of Museum Studies[3]. The endeavour to make the sections more distinct lay solely in the presence of headpieces on the mannequins, each section being given its distinct design by a different artist. The only explanation of these headpieces is in the form of a small piece of text disclosing the artist’s name with no deeper reasoning behind the choice of artists provided. Furthermore, the headpieces are absent from some mannequins, including the translucent ones in the centre of the room, making it extremely difficult to decipher which section these belong to. Unlike the mannequins on the outer borders of the room, they do not naturally follow the flow of the section breaks (Fig.2). Others are lacking the headpieces due to the garments themselves, as is visible in Figure 3, leading one to assume that this feature of the exhibition lacked the necessary forethought.

Fig. 2: Ann Lowe, Evening Dress, circ. 1968, white cotton organza with pink silk organza carnations, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. . Personal photograph by author. 21 Dec. 2023.

Fig. 3: Bonnie Cashin, Coat, 1958, red and black plaid mohair knit with red leather trim, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. . Personal photograph by author. 21 Dec. 2023.

   A further blunder, though consistent with its contemporaries, the Met opted to include entirely high-fashion pieces constructed for upper-class consumers; Presenting only the most pristine examples from a given time period[4], ultimately reflecting a very small group of women designers and excluding the most needful of representation. Designers associated with middle-class, ordinary garments that would truly resonate with The Met’s varied audience, are absent, yet aspirational ensembles designed for royal court presentations (Fig.4) and lavish evenings line the space. The Met’s presentation of fine art and high fashion pervades the concept of the exhibition, and its sponsorship by investment bank Morgan Stanley and media giant Condé Nast enforces this even further, encouraging an exorbitant display. The boost provided by the sponsorship allowed for further acquisitions of additional garments, as is disclosed in the exhibition’s panels[5]. The implications of this sort of exhibition are simple. Fashion, especially that worthy of museum presentation, is high-fashion and scholarly by nature. An enduring discourse regarding museum-worthiness in fashion collections has already established a desire for institutions to divert away from this curatorial strategy, yet it remains ever-present in this exhibition and a majority of museums worldwide[6]. The environment this creates is one permeated by academic superiority and inclusivity which fails to address and include many groups, as is seen in Women Dressing Women. The exhibition strives to “…open up new perspectives…” and “…highlight the often-overlooked female labour of crafting garments…[7]”, yet the catalogue is representative of only those who achieved highest, enforcing the existing inclination to high fashion in the museum space and appeasing the established standards. All while attempting to subvert these very same standards. As is outlined in the chapter “Posterity Has Arrived” in Museum Activism “Inadvertently or not, many of the world’s museums are agents or partners in the hoarding of wealth, while also indulging in excessive consumption as organisations…[8]” The presence of a thoughtful feminist perspective may dissuade this discussion, but despite its triumphs, it does not fully erase the presence of these faults. The exhibition largely succeeds in its goals, telling untold stories, sparking much-needed discussions all in an empowering and visually appealing way. Yet if we fail to encourage our harbourers of cultural heritage to go beyond the comfortable territory of fine art, and to dismantle its norms for the betterment of public education, we cannot hope for the true museum activism Women Dressing Women aimed to achieve.

Fig. 4: Sylvie Boué de Montegut and Jeanne d’Etrellis, Court presentation ensemble, 1928, Pink silk chiffon and ivory tulle with silk flowers and embroidered with silk and metal lame, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. . Personal photograph by author. 21 Dec. 2023.

 

References

[1] Max Hollen, “Director’s Foreword,” Women Dressing Women, (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2023), pp.9.

[2] “Press Release: The Met’s Fall 2023 Costume Institute Exhibition to Celebrate the Creativity and Artistic Legacy of Women Designers and Women-Led Fashion Houses,” The Met, October 27th, 2023.

[3] Anita Rui Olds, “Sending Them Home Alive,” Journal of Museum Education, vol. 15, no. 1, 1990, pp. 11.

[4] Valerie Steele, “A Museum of Fashion is More Than a Clothes-Bag,” Fashion Theory, vol. 2, no.4, 1998, pp.333

[5] Women Dressing Women, introductory text panels, Dec 7. 2023-Mar 3. 2024, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue, New York.

[6] Valerie Steele, “A Museum of Fashion is More Than a Clothes-Bag,” Fashion Theory, vol. 2, no.4, 1998, pp.333-334

[7] Melissa Huber and Karen Van Godstenhoven, “Women Dressing Women: A Lineage of Female Fashion Design,” Women Dressing Women, (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2023), pp.13.

[8] Robert R. Janes and Richard Sandell, “Posterity has Arrived,” Museum Activism, edited by Robert R. Janes and Richard Sandell, (Routledge, 2019), pp. 5.

Annie Wright reviews the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Fashion Gallery

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Final year Fashion and Design History student Annie Wright reviews the V&A’s Fashion gallery. 

Victoria and Albert Fashion Gallery Review

Annie Wright

 

The Victoria and Albert Museum “was established in 1852, following the popular success of the great exhibition of 1851”[1]. Textiles were a part of the collection from early on, but “initially dress was acquired for the technical quality and design of the woven, printed or embroidered textiles from which it was made rather than for its fashionable significance”[2]. However, “by the 1890s the aesthetic appeal of dress became increasingly appreciated amidst a wider interest in British history”[3]. It was in 1957 that “the museums first dedicated fashion curator was appointed”[4]. And in 1960, one of the museums first fashion exhibitions, A Lady of Fashion”[5]. In 1971 “Sir Cecil Beaton persuaded his aristocratic and stylish friends to donate 1,200 items of haute couture to the V&A for an exhibition Fashion: An Anthology”[6]. Which would become the basis of the galleries twentieth century collection. And the exhibition, with its “dramatic styling, marked the beginning of modern fashion curation”[7]. The gallery since has only grown in popularity, with landmark exhibitions such as Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in 2015, which “became the museum’s most visited exhibition”[8].

Figure 1, Peshwaz, Late 18th century to early 19th century, India, Victoria and Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O470782/peshwaz/.

Figure 2, Sun Sun Company, Qipao, 1930, Shanghai, Victoria and Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1151302/qipao-sun-sun-company/

Figure 3, Dress Fabric, 1600-1700, Isfahan, Victoria and Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O86626/dress-fabric-unknown/.

The V&A fashion gallery provides an excellent timeline of western upper-class fashion, which spans from the mid to late 18th century to present day.  However, the fashion gallery largely excludes non-western garments from their timeline, which dangerously perpetuates the long-standing colonial narrative, that throughout history has been pushed by museums, that non-western societies are inferior. Museums are a place of education, and “continue to be one of society’s most trusted institutions”[9], therefore the public may not question this narrative. Bernie Macdonald, the director of decolonizing initiatives at San Diego Museum of Man, states “Museums were birthed from the colonial endeavour”[10] and “Museums and collectors not only claimed ownership over the material object, but also drafted their own narratives and stories of the “primitive” people who made them and their uses”[11]. The V&A is guilty of creating their own narrative, as the exclusion of garments from non-western cultures from their fashion timeline perpetuates the idea of western superiority and supports the idea of the oriental “other”. The issue is not regarding the V&A needing to acquire garments from non- western cultures, as they already have plenty, which can be found in their other galleries. Like the British and European galleries, the South Asia (Figure 1), Chinese (Figure 2), Islamic Middle East (Figure 3), Japanese (Figure 4) and Korean (Figure 5) galleries all contain both textiles and items of clothing. However, unlike the British and European galleries, these items are not also included in the fashion gallery. Out of nearly 200 items on display only a handful are non-western, including a dress by Cheedonian Boutique (Figure 6) and a skirt and coat by Yohji Yamamoto (Figure 7).

Figure 4, Kimono, 1870-1890, Japan, Victoria and Albert Museum, Personal Photograph by the Author, 10 March, 2023.

Figure 5, Samo, 19th century, Korea, Victoria and Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O485775/samo-hat-unknown/.

Figure 6, Cheedoniam Boutique, Dress, 1994, Sierra Leone, Victoria and Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1644195/dress-cheedonian-boutique/.

Figure 7, Yohji Yamamoto, Skirt, 2004-2005, Japan, Victoria and Albert Museum, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1245355/skirt-yohji-yamamoto/.

Another issue is that item labels are small, usually around 50 words or less, which creates an issue when an item requires context. For example, one display in the gallery includes a shawl from 1860-65, which was made in France but is inspired by Indian textiles (Figure 8). But with the label’s word count being small, the colonial history may not be apparent to the audience. There is more information about the shawl on the website, however it is unlikely that the public would look there or even know to look there.

On the July 2nd 2022 until the April 16th 2023, the V&A held an exhibition called Africa Fashion, which was “the UK’s frst major exploration of 20th-century style across Africa and the diaspora”[12]. The exhibition “drew the highest attendance figures for the event since 2019”[13] and was even visited by king Charles III. The exhibition was definitely a step in the right direction for the fashion galleries at the museum and showed that the museum is capable of decolonising its displays. With even the mannequins being remade to look less Eurocentric as there is “a lack of diversity in commercially available mannequins”[14]. Whilst it is great that this exhibition was held, the fact it was only temporary still contributes to Eurocentric narrative. There needs to be these exhibitions but also more garments in the permanent collection.

Unfortunately, the lack of inclusivity in the permanent fashion gallery does not just come from Eurocentric and colonial ideas about museums but also funding. The museum “ is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport”[15], therefore changing and adding to the fashion gallery may not be as easy. But with exhibitions like Africa fashion showing that the museum is ready and wanting to decolonise its practices. And block buster expiations like the Coco Channel one currently being held, will bring in more money for the museum. There is hope for change soon.

 

References

[1] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 6.

[2] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 6.

[3] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 6.

[4] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016),, 7.

[5] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 7.

[6] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 7.

[7] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 7.

[8] Claire Wilcox, “Introduction”, V&A Gallery of Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox and Jenny Lister, (V&A Publishing, 2016), 8.

[9] Robert R. Janes, Richard Sandell, “Posterity has arrived: The necessary emergence of museum activism”, Museum Activism, edited by Robert R. Janes, Richard Sandell, (Routledge, 2019), 6.

[10] Brandie Macdonald, “Pausing, Reflection, and Action: Decolonizing Museum Practices”, Journal of Museum Education, Volume 47, Issue 1, 2022, 10.

[11] Brandie Macdonald, “Pausing, Reflection, and Action: Decolonizing Museum Practices”, Journal of Museum Education, Volume 47, Issue 1, 2022, 10.

[12] “A year in highlights”, V&A Annual Review 2022-23, 6.

[13] “Performance against strategic objectives”, Victoria and Albert Museum Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, 10.

[14] Rachel Lee, “Why representation matters: Creating the Africa Fashion mannequin”, Victoria and Albert Museum, January 25, 2023, https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/projects/why-representation-matters-creating-the-africa-fashion-mannequin.

[15] Victoria and Albert Museum, GOV.UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/victoria-and-albert-museum.

Opulence to Ashes: An exploration into the gendered marketing of the tobacco industry

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Alicia Curran, Deale Fisher, Eden Parsley and Scarlett Swinnerton have curated an exhibition reflecting on the relationship between gender identity and the marketing of tobacco in their second-year project for the BA History of Art and Design module  ‘Understanding Exhibitions and Creating Displays’.

Opulence to Ashes is an exhibition, recently curated using archived materials from the University of Brighton’s Design Archives, now open in the foyer of St Peter’s House Library. This exhibition delves into the intriguing topic of gendered marketing within the tobacco industry and explores how marketing strategies have targeted specific gender identities and influenced consumer behaviour. Opulence to Ashes examines the utilisation of imagery, colours, and messaging that have traditionally reinforced gender stereotypes. By analysing these aspects, the exhibition prompts visitors to question the underlying messages and consider the broader implications.

The focus of this exhibition is on examining the ways in which the tobacco industry has targeted specific gender identities through their marketing strategies. Delving into the use of imagery, colours, and messaging that have traditionally reinforced gender stereotypes and influenced consumer behaviour. It looks at how cigarettes were initially marketed as symbols of masculinity, often with rugged cowboys and suave gentlemen being used to promote various brands. On the other hand, certain cigarette brands were specifically targeted towards women, employing feminine aesthetics and associations with elegance and sophistication. Opulence to Ashes brings you their own discovered cigarette brand: High Kings.

Seen below is an image of two reconstructed High Kings cigarette packages alongside the gender strategised, and targeted, design brief. The team chose the Olive Green packaging as in the brief this colour is explained as targeted at females and the Opulence to Ashes team want to allow the chance for any attendees to this exhibition to refer to this in the feedback. Boxes of this particular branded cigarette were also enhanced to appear either lighter in colour or more golden than those targeted at men.

As the exhibition progresses, it highlights the impact of gendered marketing on individuals and society. It examines the ways in which these marketing tactics have reinforced harmful gender norms and perpetuated inequality. As well as offering insight through the dissection of advertisement and promotional materials, present amongst the exhibition materials is the High Kings design brief that associates colours with certain age groups and genders. When creating this exhibition, with a target audience of university students and academic professionals in mind, the Opulence to Ashes team approached the advertisement of this exhibition with huge creative intention.

Seen below is a poster created by the team to advertise the exhibition. The playful use of a propaganda style poster is an effective strategy being used here when considered alongside the fact that there is a high likeliness that members of the target audience will be provoked by the look of the poster furthermore intrigued.

 

Looking at the intended audience and recognising that the ages of many people attending our exhibition would be anywhere from 18 to mid-late twenties, we understood that social media would be one of the most useful tools in advertising our exhibition as well as building our brand aesthetic and continuity to the exhibition pieces. Instagram being our chosen form of representation and advertising for the exhibition allowed for the aesthetic of Opulence to Ashes to be appointed prior to the exhibition.

Something Old, Something New: The Influence of the White Wedding in Popular Culture

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Emily Hetherington, Neve Lloyd Owen, Maizie Hegarty-Woods Alexandra Laveglia and Maddison Brathwaite – Richards review the significance of the wedding dress in their second-year exhibition project for the BA History of Art and Design module  ‘Understanding Exhibitions and Creating Displays’.

‘Something Old and Something New’, Exhibition View, 2023

Something Old and Something New is a new exhibition looking at wedding traditions through different pop culture moments and how people have gone against them. What is thought as one of the oldest wedding traditions, the white wedding dress, popularised by Queen Victoria, was promoted through media and magazines that made people believe that wedding dresses were always white. For many, white wedding dresses show a fairy tale ending for them, not unlike the ones seen in Disney’s Cinderella. For some Christians a white wedding dress shows the end of innocence and purity of a child into adulthood as a stepping into a new stage of life. In the Global North the white wedding dresses is so integral to our image of weddings that it has bled into the Global South, with many people opting to having a white dress in some capacity alongside their own traditions. One of the many ways the tradition has leaked into different cultures is through televised royal weddings, such as the 1981 marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, watched by 750 million people in 74 countries, which was a major pop culture moment of the 1980s. So, the exhibition here starts with a wedding dress from 1984 designed by Patricia Miller that is stylistically inspired by Diana’s own wedding dress, from the University’s own teaching dress collection. This dress is our launching point for looking at how bridal traditions are upheld, subverted or broken within Western pop culture.

Installing a wedding dress (1984) from the University of Brighton Dress History Teaching Collection

The rhyme that gives the name of the exhibition comes from “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” links to wedding traditions. The rhyme dates to about to the 19th century in the British Ilses and has been part of weddings for almost the same amount of time, as it is said to help the wedding go smoothly for the bride. Many pop culture weddings follow this tradition but many don’t. An example of a wedding not following the normal traditions was Bianca and Mick Jagger’s weddings in 1971. Bianca Jagger wore trousers to this wedding which broke standards of what we saw with celebrity weddings and since then there have been examples of women opting for trousers as their bridal dress, especially with the rise of LGBTQIA+ weddings. In this way we can see how something new can become something old in a short amount of time.

Display case, ‘Something Old and Something New’

Ultimately, through this new exhibition we want people leave with an understanding of how tradition is invented, through examining weddings. As the British social scientist and geographer Doreen Massey writes, tradition is seen through nostalgia, something that we need to maintain, or it will be lost. White weddings and all we expect from them comes from our understanding of what we have seen whether that be from pop culture or from our personal experiences of weddings, ideas that can hopefully be seen in this new display on the second floor of Mithras House, next to the Hellerup stairs.

Curated by Emily Hetherington, Neve Lloyd Owen, Maizie Hegarty-Woods Alexandra Laveglia and Maddison Brathwaite – Richards.

Reorienting the Orient

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Annie Wright, Grace Dowle, Megan Glass, Avery Chamberlain and Eden Cronin have curated an exhibition reflecting on the connection between objects associated with the idea of ‘the Orient’ and the social construction of cultural difference within British society in their second-year project for the BA History of Art and Design module  ‘Understanding Exhibitions and Creating Displays’.

Reorienting the Orient: Upcycling as a Cross Cultural Practice, Mithras House, 6th Dec 2023

Reorienting the Orient is an exhibition that aims to explore the narratives and aims of cross-cultural consumption and the repurposing of cultural garments for alternative uses in the west. Ideas surrounding where these garments were intended to be worn are contrasted between systems of international export and local trading, which allows for an interesting comparison in the usage of oriental clothing in Britain.

Orientalism, a term coined by Edward W. Said, describes the western construction of ‘the Orient’ as a place of mysticism and exoticism and reflects Britain’s imperial relations with Asia. Britain’s connections to the Orient have influenced popular fashion trends in many ways through the years. Reorienting the Orient documents multiple examples of the dissemination of imported Oriental goods into British society, whilst also providing context behind specific examples.

The exhibition features two main pieces, selected from the Dress History Teaching Collection. The first, a skirt most likely handcrafted by the Rabari, a nomadic tribe indigenous to the Kutch district of Northern India. Despite initially being thought to be from the Rajasthan state of India, research suggests the bright embroidered motifs of peacocks and mango trees to be that of Rabari craft. This skirt would have been created for local consumption within the Kutch district, but was brought to Brighton by John Gillow amidst the British fascination with Indian culture during the 1960’s.

Reorienting the Orient: Upcycling as a Cross Cultural Practice, Mithras House, 6th Dec 2023

The second garment from the same collection is a Cantonese shawl, dating anywhere from the late 19th to early 20th century. Also being known as ‘Manila Shawls’ and ‘Manton de Manila’, these fabrics were most often made of silk and featured the Yue embroidery that is native to the Canton region. Patterns on these shawls often include scenes from nature and mythical creatures. This specific example features embroidered motifs of foliage on cream silk, with a border of fringe encasing the design. In contrast to the Rabari skirt, these Cantonese shawls would have been made specifically for western use. The consumption of these garments in Europe would ultimately lead to the commissioning of western cultural emblems to be embroidered on them, and the chartering of trade companies designed to import these products to various European nations.

Reorienting the Orient: Upcycling as a Cross Cultural Practice, Mithras House, 6th Dec 2023

Although both of these pieces show the significance of orientalist clothing in Britain in both the 19th and 20th centuries, ‘Reorienting the Orient’ also displays evidence of orientalism as an ongoing practice. This is shown through the exhibiting of two recent examples, purchased by the curators locally, in the Brighton lanes. Displayed on a mannequin alongside the Rabari skirt is a long sleeve cropped blouse in a rich maroon colour. The pattern featured on the garment shows clear inspiration from South Asian clothing and shows how cultural items from the Orient may have been understood and worn in a westernised context. Alongside the Cantonese shawl, a small toiletry case is displayed, which features designs and motifs that are heavily east-Asian inspired. Despite a lack of information on this piece, the purpose can be assumed to be that of western consumption, with copies of this very product being found on selling sites such as eBay.

Throughout Reorienting the Orient, the idea of a difference in production and consumption remains constant, with comparisons between the intended purposes, trade routes and the adopting of the exhibited garments into western society.

The exhibition, curated by Annie Wright, Grace Dowle, Megan Glass, Avery Chamberlain and Eden Cronin, is now available for viewing on the second floor of Mithras House (top of the Hellerup stairs).