London – Page 3 – The Prim Girl

theprimgirl / December 5, 2013

Fashion Galore, Blown Away.

Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! What a spectacular fashion exhibition indeed. Curated by Alistair O’Neil and Shonagh Marshall, this Somerset House exhibition was a pure thrill to see. I visited on a late night Thursday on the week that it opened, a dark cold wintery London evening. Somerset House is breathtaking in this season, with the skate rink full of whizzing, wrapped up festive people and the Christmas tree that seems as big as a Cathedral; perfection. This exhibition used the same space which housed the Valentino exhibition, but this time the space was used so much better and felt like a much more slick and modern curation.

This huge exhibition celebrates the life and wardrobe of the infamous Isabella Blow whose work as a fashion Editor, Stylist, Consultant and Muse made her a prominent figure in the industry for over 20 years. A fascinating woman, born in 1958, who after a troubled upbringing whereby her parents separated, her Brother died and her Father didn’t like her, moved to New York City to study. Among many things, Blow shared an apartment with an actress, moved to Texas, worked for Guy Laroche, got married, met Anna Wintour and became her assistant. Pretty good going. She then became the assistant to Andre Leon Tally, chief Editor of US Vogue. Working for these people, the biggest names in fashion publishing, jobs that people would kill for, came naturally to Blow, hanging out in circles that included Andy Warhol, Blow was fast becoming a fashion icon. In 1986, she returned to London and worked for Michael Roberts, the then Fashion Editor of Tatler Magazine and The Sunday Times Magazine. Blow was a lucky lady in the career department, having jobs people can only dream of, and in her personal life, she was now divorced. In 1989 Blow went on to marry Art Dealer Detmar Blow. You would imagine her life to be wonderful, living a fashion dream, but she was a woman plagued by sadness and depression.

One of the things that Blow was most known and respected for was finding and nurturing British fashion talent. Most famously she discovered and nurtured Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy and Matthew Williamson. She personally bought the entire first collection of McQueen by paying him in weekly installments. Philip Treacy’s hats became her signature style;

“That’s why I wear the hats, to keep everyone away from me. They say, ‘Oh, can I kiss you?’ I say, ‘No, thank you very much. That’s why I’ve worn the hat. Goodbye.’ I don’t want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love.”

In 2007 Blow committed suicide after drinking weed killer, it followed numerous attempts at taking her own life including jumping from Hammersmith Bridge and breaking both her ankles. At the time of her death, Blow was also suffering from ovarian cancer. She had told her husband that she couldn’t fight her depression any longer. A sad end to her life, a life that was vibrant, theatrical, bold and unapologetic. Blow’s story proves so vividly that no matter what success or wealth you find in life, mental illness can take precedence and make it all seem pointless. Her life is a very valid reminder of how big an illness depression can be. Blow left behind her a wonderful legacy, her eccentricity and her genius as an artist proves how important fashion is in enabling us to express ourselves and have fun.

Fashion Galore! showcases over 100 pieces from her collection including many from the designers she discovered and launched. An amazing amount of Treacy and McQueen, all displayed to perfection, with great lighting and a wink of humour, this exhibition is truly celebratory rather than sombre. I also loved how the clothes were not behind glass, instead of treating them like rare butterflies, they are in the open so you can really peep up close and breathe in the detail. A beautiful tribute to an extraordinary woman.

This exhibition runs at Somerset House until 2nd March 2014, in association with The Isabella Blow Foundation.

You may also enjoy:

theprimgirl / September 4, 2013

Blumenfeld Does It Beautifully

The last few sunny days of the season are upon us and my goodness it’s been a delight this year, I have looooved the summer! To make the most of the last days of summer I figured I needed to get down to London to finally take a peep at an exhibition that was nearly ending. So, off I headed under the sunny skies to have myself a day out! Somerset House is by far one of my most favourite venues for exhibitions, this small but perfectly formed exhibition of iconic fashion photographer Erwin Blumenfeld was in the east wing, the same place as the Tim Walker exhibition that I blogged about in January. It’s a great, simple, elegant and informal space, I always love visiting.

Erwin Blumenfeld, 1897-1969, a Berlin born Jew, moved himself to New York City in 1941 and fast became a prolific photographer of his time, formulating his own recognisable style of playing with colour, light and manipulating his images. Becoming part of the explosion of press in the USA at the time, Blumenfeld worked for many big magazines including Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Life, Look and Cosmopolitan. In 1950, he was the highest paid Photographer in the world. This cute and stunning exhibition focused on some of the archives that were found in his studio, he left hundreds and hundreds of old original transparencies. Deteriorated and faded from time, the images were digitally reconstructed for the exhibition and printed in colours believed to be the same as the originals. Amazing.

His work wasn’t something I was over familiar with before my visit, although on seeing his work you realise just how many iconic photographs from fashion history were down to him. I adored the exhibition, I especially loved seeing the old images close up and seeing women without airbrushing, a real refresher. Blumenfelds work was beautiful, I saw a humour and an abstract surreal element to them, they seem utterly timeless but yet startingly modern. A super, sunny afternoon at Somerset House.

Jean Patchett, circa 1954
Grace Kelly for Cosmopolitan cover, 1955, dress by Oleg Cassini
Exhibition view
Variants of a photograph published in US Vogue, 1950, dress by Jaques Faith, model Evelyn Tripp
Exhibition view
Advertising photograph for Elizabeth Arden, undated, model Evelyn Tripp
Variant of ‘Do Your Part For The Red Cross’ Vogue cover, 1945
Published Red Cross Vogue cover, 1945
Variant of Vogue cover, 1953, dress by Traina-Norell, model Nancy Berg
Published Vogue cover, 1953

The exhibition has now ended but visit Somerset House for details of other exhibitions.

You may also enjoy:

theprimgirl / May 22, 2013

10 Places That I Really, Really Love (…or would love to be)

We all have favourite places, places we’ve been to and loved and places we wish we go to. Here are 10 of my most favourite places in this crazy World.

1. Jayne Mansfield’s home in the 1950’s. I adore the kitsch and pink-ness of this place, I obviously have never been there, it got bulldozed a few years ago..!!!…but, it pretty much epitomizes my dream house, the heart shaped pool is dreamy and the pink fluffy bathroom is a place that dreams are made of.

2. The Savoy hotel in the 1930’s. I bloomin’ LOVE hotels, I love the fantasy and the lux of them and they don’t get much cooler than this. I’d like to zip back to the 1930’s and see its splendour.

3. Central Park, New York. I’m a city girl and NYC is a place that makes my heart beat like a drum, I am in love with that city, and I love the fact that in the fastest city in the world you can place yourself in a big open tranquil park in the middle, perfection.

4. Skorpios Island. On a holiday with James, to Greece, we took a boat around the islands and both fell in love with this place. Known as the island that Aristotle Onassis and Jackie O married and lived on, it is like a private paradise trapped in the 1960’s. As idyllic as it gets.

5. A kitsch motel in Vegas in the 1950’s. I love Vegas, I love it’s glare and sparkle, but the Las Vegas I love is the old one, transport me to a vintage motel and I’d be a happy girl.

6. London in the rain. My heart belongs to London, and I especially love it on a rainy day, so British and handsome, there is great atmosphere in a soggy city.

7. Graceland, Memphis. This is another place that has become trapped in a different era, I’ve been twice and as soon as you step foot in there, away from the tourist trash, you are in a different time. I love the decor, the extravagance and the history, and of course the super cool basement room. Spellbinding.

8. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. One of my favourite US cities, this bridge has great memories for me, on a very lovely long holiday when I was 16, my family all sat in this exact viewpoint location and spent hours taking in the enormity of this place. Stunning. I love this city, great bohemian vibe and Lombard Street is the coolest street in the land.

9. Patisserie Florentin, Edinburgh. Edinburgh is pretty damn special to me. With a big part of my family living there, it’s a city I hold dear. Great size, great buildings and a great coffee and cake shop too that I could hang with loved ones in for hours

10. At my home with my boys. I love cities and I get itchy feet for travelling, which I have been lucky enough to do all my life, but, hand on heart, sitting at home in my own place with my cats is as good as life gets. This is what I love the most.

You may also enjoy:

theprimgirl / October 31, 2012

Something & Nothing

Street art by Invader
Autumn leaves
Beautiful banister
The car danglies in our VW
Street art by Mr Brainwash
Autumn leaves

You may also enjoy:

theprimgirl / October 24, 2012

Life is Beautiful says Mr Brainwash

Sitting on a London bus the other month, my eyes were caught by the face of Kate Moss, huge billboard size, pop art style Moss. I made a mental note to head back to Holburn to photograph it one day soon, and that day came last week. I knew from investigating, that it was the work of Mr Brainwash to advertise his first UK show. As far as I knew the show ended in August, so I headed up there with just the expectation of seeing a larger than life Miss Moss, and nothing else. Lordy how my heart leapt when I saw that the show was still on, and it was free. Yipeeeee.

Mr Brainwash, (moniker of Thierry Guetta) delights and intrigues me. Parisian born, he was living in LA running a vintage fashion store whilst having an obsession with both street art and making amateur films. Most famous for being in the Banksy film ‘Exit through the Gift Shop’, Brainwash has always been clouded by controversy…..is he an elaborate prank of Banksy’s, is he Banksy himself unveiled, is he just a Banksy copycat? I like the fact that through a film that started out as a documentary about Banksy; street art’s most notorious and secretive character, a new street artist was created and is now more accessible and talked about than Banksy himself. Sceptics may debate that Brainwash only got where he is via Banksy and that he has very little to do with his own art except for the initial ideas, which are merely carried out by his creative team. This, is modern art, I like it, millions around the world like it, and Brainwash himself says he is “Banksy’s biggest work of art.” In a way he subverts the very genre he is a part of as well as art from the past. He takes iconic pop art and defaces it into a new message, he takes classic, fine artwork and puts the faces of modern icons in place of the Royals. He puts art that is meant for the street into an organised indoor area, he has moved street art on and offered it to the mainstream. Some may think his work is pretentious but I think it is the complete opposite. The show is free, you can take photos till your hearts content, there are no titles or wafty explanations, the artist himself is there to chat with and the art is just there for you to look at. End of. Of course I also love that Kate Moss features heavily in his work.

The old sorting office is the perfect location for this show, the massive bare industrial space looks ace littered with his pops of colour and humour. Oversized installations, stencil work, galleries of icons and Mr Brainwash himself was there on the day I visited, a great atmosphere was evident. The uplifting slogans and the bursts of colour that this show prescribe are perfect for an autumn day in London, I was having a particularly frowny day when I visited and it put a sense of cheer right back into me. Yay.