London’s museums make a compelling case for fashion as an art form this autumn, says Lisa Hylton.
At V&A South Kensington, The Burberry: Trench: Crafting an Icon celebrates one of fashion’s most recognisable garments as Burberry marks its 170th anniversary. Bringing together rare material from the Burberry Archive and the V&A collection, this free display traces the trench’s transformation from military outerwear to global fashion classic. In the rarely used Prince Consort Gallery, discover Thomas Burberry’s invention of cotton gabardine in 1879 and the painstaking details that make the coat enduring – from its hand-finished collar and House Check lining to its storm flap and detachable throat latch.The display concludes with runway looks from the past 25 years, including designs by Christopher Bailey and Daniel Lee, and a car coat worn by Hardy Amies.
Then, at the Fashion and Textile Museum, step into the intoxicating world of Ossie Clark + Celia Birtwell, whose partnership helped to define London’s look between 1965 and 1974 (from 2 Oct). Think slinky bias-cut dresses, ethereal chiffon, slim-hipped flares and daring python-skin jackets – where 1930s glamour met rock ‘n’ roll flamboyance and gender boundaries became wonderfully fluid.
The exhibition really captures their heyday at west London boutique Quorum, where Clark’s masterful cutting met Birtwell’s romantic, nature-inspired prints. Famously painted by David Hockney, they mixed with the Rolling Stones, sat The Beatles in the front row of their shows and saw stars including Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and Twiggy wear their designs. Among the highlights is the blue Ziggy Stardust dress, a spiralling confection of chiffon, plus catwalk footage of their designs.
At Tate Britain, meanwhile, The 90s: Art and Fashion (from 8 Oct) revisits a decade synonymous with creative possibility, tracing the crossover between art, photography, fashion and popular culture.
Bringing together artists, photographers and designers, the show includes Tracey Emin’s art, photographs by Corinne Day and Juergen Teller, and fashion pieces by Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and Ozwald Boateng.
Look out for Day’s photographs of Kate Moss, which helped define the raw, anti-glamour look of the decade, alongside images of London’s club scene. From McQueen’s dramatic designs to the creativity of a new generation of British artists, the show brings the vibrant energy of the ’90s vividly back to life.
