Whilst in London over the new year I visited Somerset House to see the Valentino retrospective. I have to say I had not taken that much notice of Valentino's work and designs. I had seen the documentary 'The Last Emperor' and it was fascinating. So I thought it would be worth a visit.
I would say it was worth it. The curator had set the main part of the exhibition as a catwalk and seating arrangement. Dresses made famous by certain actresses and celebrities had their dresses arranged around their personal invites, set upon front row style seats.
Somerset House
The exhibition started on the ground floor with cases full of personal letters, photos, illustrations and examples of invites for various shows over the years
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The next floor showcased many of Valentino's most famous designs and pieces from across his career. Displayed in colour blocks and themes. The mannequins were different colours to denote the era in which the designs were made. It was interesting to see how certain techniques were repeated over the years and how many were improved upon. Certain dresses were designed in the 50's and 60's but not realised until decades later. Maybe because of techniques not yet obtained or perhaps because of financial restrictions?
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Julia Roberts Oscar dress
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The final part of the exhibition showcased a beautiful wedding dress created for Princess Marie
Chantal of Greece. this could be viewed from above and at eye level, to show the exquisite work in the veil and train.
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This led onto an interactive part of the exhibition. On a large screen you could view the new website dedicated to Valentino's work. He has created an interactive museum. This is incredible and can be explored here http://www.valentinogaravanimuseum.com/
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Grazia
The last stage of the exhibition showed how some of the couture techniques were executed and used. This part was amazing. Showing some of the secrets of the atelier masters, ie the women in the white coats!
Some of the techniques were well known to other couturiers, some were created by Valentino. A particularly beautiful technique involved the use of silk organdy discs stitched and constructed to create an incredible pink jacket. The jacket moved and fell in an beautiful way. Other techniques included were the rouleaux rose, a technique where chiffon is cut into strips on the bias, rolled and stitched to create soft roses. One of my particular favourites was the 'budellini' technique. Bias strips of silk were filled with strands of wool and stitched and rolled over garments to create a contour effect.
budellini technique
There were not too many examples of hats or head wear, but one that was particularly beautiful was this pink ribbon effect hat. One for the milliners!
There wasn't too much for sale in the special gift shop set up for the exhibitio. I was hoping for postcards of the dresses or maybe a book. Unfortunately no. The main things were special accessories, designed just for this show. Available at the Valentino shop on Sloane Street if you have the budget!
I did find a great book in the college library that has great colour images of most of the designs featured
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Information from Somerset House website This major exhibition celebrating the life and work of Valentino
showcased over 130 exquisite haute couture designs worn by icons such as
Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren and Gwyneth Paltrow
in an exciting installation created specially for Somerset House.
Divided into three sections; visitors started with a private view of
Valentino's world through photographs from his personal archive,
offering an intimate portrait of the life of the master. The exhibition
then unfolds into a couture fashion show where roles are reversed with
visitors walking the catwalk to view a staggering one hundred and thirty
Valentino haute couture designs. Valentino: Master of Couture was a journey into the secretive world of Italian couture.
The final section unpicked the painstaking processes of crafting
couture exemplified by the stunning wedding dress of Princess Marie
Chantal of Greece, demonstrating the beauty of the work of les petites
mains who sew each stitch by hand. In addition a specially commissioned
group of films allowed behind-the scenes access to the Valentino
atelier, where the craft of couture was demonstrated in a series of
fascinating samples. Finally, you could discover more about the man, the
icon, by exploring the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum.
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