A priori it might seem like the new Women Fashion Power exhibition sets nothing new on the table. But far from this, the show sets a milestone in the role of fashion in the public sphere. Check out these 10 reasons why you should go to see this ambitious show at London Design Museum.
A priori it might seem like the new Women Fashion Power exhibition sets nothing new on the table. But far from this, the show sets a milestone in the role of fashion in the public sphere. Check out these 10 reasons why you should go to see this ambitious show at London Design Museum.
1. It’s not your typical fashion exhibition: it’s not aimed at fashion victims and according to it’s co-curator Colin MacDowell, it’s not even a fashion exhibition. It’s a passionate study about the psychological implications and the stories that are behind our closets.
Women Fashion Power. Photograph: Mirren Rosie
2. It’s full of amazing stories from women that inspire: Vivienne Westwood, Naomi Campbell, Natalie Massenet, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris (who also opened the exhibition)…As the show curators explain, all of the high profile women in the exhibition are “leaders in their field” who “understand the clothes they wear are part of the way they communicate with the world”.
In the photograph: Vivienne Westwood
3. It’s unprecendented: “For a very long period, as women began entering the workplace and taking up roles traditionally occupied by men, the subject of dress was really put to one side and treated as a frivolous distraction,” Ms. Loveday said. The idea that clothes matter and deserve thought from society (not only women) is almost revolutionary, if you think about it.
In the photograph: Lady Diana
4. It’s something of a self-help session: You gain conscience of your own way of dressing and buying and what your clothes really mean to you and others. Fashion is an important tool of self-expression and the exhibition shows how different women have used it build reputation, attract attention and assert authority.
5. It’s not only about clothes: “Although corsets continued to be worn,” reads the introduction to the underwear section, “the emphasis shifted from moulding the body to supporting it.” This perhaps is a great example of clothes are more than clothes. They are statements, ideas, chronicles of the era.
Women Fashion Power. Photograph: Mirren Rosie
6. It’s not only about designers: Fashion exhibitions tend to focus on designers, but Women Fashion Power shines the spotlight at the people – from Hatshepsut, the Egyptian queen who used elements of male dress to establish authority after her husband’s death to Joan of Arc, Joan Collins or Margaret Thatcher.
Women Fashion Power. Photograph: Mirren Rosie
7. You’ll understand that dressing is much more than dressing: Picking what to wear is something completely related to how we feel like in regards to our body. “For a very long period, as women began entering the workplace and taking up roles traditionally occupied by men, the subject of dress was really put to one side and treated as a frivolous distraction,” Ms. Loveday said.
8. Your dose of fashion history: The space is divided in three parts: an analytic “corridor of power” that identifies 16 of the most influential dressers in history, starting with a full length image of Eve; a 150-year timeline highlighting moments of public sartorial change; and the Arena of Power, which focuses on the 25 key women who explain in their own words their views.
Picture: Image of Elizabeth I
9. It’s designed by Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize. The space revolves around to central hubs or “explosions”, which evoque the power and energy of fashion. As Hadid’s practice mentions: “Each fragment of the explosion is employed as a mode of display” highlighting both individual pieces and a sense of cohesiveness”.
10. Something old, something new, something borrowed…More than 25 contemporary women featured in the exhibition have contributed an outfit for display as well as sharing their personal style philosophy. A treat to the eye and mind!
Woman Fashion Power. Photographs: Mirren Rosie
The Women Fashion Power exhibition is open in the Design Museum until the 26 of April 2015. For more information visit https://www.designmuseum.org/exhibitions/women-fashion-power
