"I know what women want, they want to look beautiful"
Valentino Garavani.
Possibly the most honest, and true, words ever spoken by a designer. Every female I know wants to look beautiful.... and that is why Valentino is one of the most sucessful, and popular, haute couture designers there is - he knows women, and most of all, he knows how to dress them. How could you not look beautiful in a Valentino dress?
For a short time London's Somerset House (home to London Fashion Week) is giving you an insight into Valentino's life as a designer and his greatest creations. I have never seen couture up close so this was one exhibition I was not going to miss...
Picture courtesy of Somerset House
The exhibition is in the most fitting location, Somerset House is beautiful. Across the cobbled courtyard, through the light airy reception and down the lift to the basement, the exhibition begins. In glass cabinets lie original invites to Valentino shows, the 'you know you've made it' moment to any fashionista! Further cabinets are littered with responses, thank you notes and good luck notes from many various famous faces on letter-headed papaer from Liza Minelli and Meryl Streep to Donatella Versace and Anna Wintour (yes, the lady herself!). Another cabinet houses a rare sample of a family Christmas card to Valentino from Prince Charles, William and Harry and photos of fashion icons such as Audrey Hepburn from the 50's and 60's fashion influence Jacqueline Kennedy.
You then ascend up the modern spiral staircase and onto a catwalk show, however instead of being seated in the audience, you are on the catwalk show. Either side of the 'catwalk' are couture dresses from every decade, dresses that look like they belong on a red carpet in Hollywood. Louis chairs that you would find in French salons or beautiful, modern French restaurants such as Aubaine line the catwalk hosting seating cards for guests ranging from Elizabeth Taylor to Lady Gaga.
As you walk along the catwalk you get to see dresses that vary in colour, design and style, some scream the year that they were designed and worn, others would look just as fantastic and fashionable today as they did in 1970. The dresses all have a number and in a booklet that you are given at the start of the exhibition is a short sentence relating to the correlating numbered dress, be it who wore the dress, the type of embroidery, the year it was designed. It is amazing to be able to see Valentino couture, up close, and shown in such a creative way, however, I found the logistics to be slightly awkward. The catwalk is too wide, and too busy, to be able to see both sides at the same time and so you find yourself walking up viewing one side first to then come back down to view the other. Therefore the numbers are all out of synch and you are flicking between pages to find the details.
The dresss are so beautiful and so detailed that you want to see as much of them as possible, however the position of the dress has clearly been chosen by their best feature whether it be a stunning drooping back or a gather feature on the front. Unfortunately you therefore miss out on the full greatness of these creations. I would have like to have been able to walk around the dress to see all of it's glory, failing that a mirror behind the dress would do! That way none of Valentino's, and his very talented seamstresses's handywork goes unmissed!
After being mesmerised by such an exquisite wedding dress there is the opportunity to watch a very short documentary on Valentino and the thoughts behind the exhibition. I felt this was interesting but a bit too short and woud have liked to have seen more about where Valentinos inspiration comes from and possibly a preview into his workshop.
'Couture' is French for 'to be sewn', so with Valetino's dresses be all haute-couture they are custom-made, using hand sewing techniques for individual clients. This is where the beauty lies, and you then have the opportunity to learn the technical intricacy of Valentino's masterpieces. Glass boxes contain videos of how to achieve specific sewing techniques. This was a bit too techy for me but anybody who know their sewing may feel like they had been let in on a big secret...
The exhibition then ends quite abruptly and you exit through a small gift shop containing many books on Valentino and some rather pricey tote bags! I felt that it was a very compact exhibition and so kept your attention, however I would have liked to have learnt more about the designer himself.
Although Valentino retired from the label four years ago, after presenting his Spring/Summer collection in 2008 at Paris Fashion Week, he is still very much the face of fashion and I feel he will be for some time yet.......
Valtino exhibition at Somerset House is running until 3rd March 2013. Details here.
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