It hardly seems possible, but after months of object selections, project team meetings and discussions with designers, we have started to install our latest fashion exhibition: Club to Catwalk London Fashion in the 1980s!
This week we are focussing on our catwalk cases which address themes such as eveningwear, tailoring, knitwear and the BLITZ designer collection of customised Levis jackets. In this section of the exhibition, you will also find cases dedicated to designers including, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Willy Brown and Katharine Hamnett.
The day starts early as the mannequins have to be brought to the gallery before the Museum opens. Although careful consideration has already gone into their placement in the cases, there is much tweaking and repositioning to be done once the objects appear as groups in their decorated cases for the first time. Attention to detail is crucial, and curators spend hours considering the best angle of a jacket to show and whether a hat should be tilted to the left or right. When everyone is happy and all accessories, props and labels are put in place, the mannequins are fixed to the floor and the lighting levels set.
It’s a tiring but exhilarating experience, as everyone can see the product of months of hard work coming together. Here are some installation shots showing the exhibition taking shape…
I hope you’ll agree that it’s looking fabulous already!