http://www.iannader.com en-gb iannader.com 2012-2-4T00:00:00Z iannader.com http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#111549 I popped into Tate Britain the other day to see what was new and saw a lovely display of Camden Town Drawings. Although the Camden Town Group of artists didnt exhibit drawings in their group shows they took Walter Sickerts lead in using sketches as a way to capture reality and authenticity and then scaling up these drawings directly onto the canvas rather than arranging and rearranging the composition. I remember when I studied theatre design at Croydon College where we were all well trained in scaling up drawings onto canvas being told by my tutor that if I wished to acquire artworks that I should buy drawings I believe the favourite of her own collection was a Burne Jones as the spontaneity that they capture always stays dynamic and fresh compared to paintings. There was quite a range of works in the display in fact the different stylistic approaches was cited as one of the reasons why the Camden Town Group didnt last for very long. It was wonderful to see Charles Ginners From a Hamp... 2012-2-1 11:38:58 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#110514 I just caught Postmodernism Style and Subversion 19701990 at the VampA before it closed. It included an interesting mix of objects from Lagerfeld designed sequined Chanel jackets to Jeff Koons metallic statuary to the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery. There were some quirky ceramics and even some costumes from the film Blade Runner although such a clear interpretation of 1940s fashion doesnt seem that postmodern to me but all the same its always exciting to see the design and construction of costumes. I particularly liked the architectural models and the description of the architecture and interior design of the time as being somewhere between Versailles and Las Vegas but towards the end of the exhibition it did seem that any building featuring a pastel coloured semicircle or triangle could be considered postmodern. There were even more delightful architectural caprices upstairs in a temporary exhibition in the the Architecture Gallery. Albertopolis the Development of South Kens... 2012-1-16 21:38:50 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#109675 I spent a day in various museums and galleries with a friend of mine who was over from Paris for a few days. We met at the Wallace Collection where I headed to the Porphyry Court to see the temporary exhibition of a small terracotta sculpture a modello aparently by Canova. What delighted me most though was a new acquisition of a bronze bust of Napoleon III looking dashing in his Prince President uniform with gold bullion epaulettes and order sash and with his famous waxed moustache. We ended up at Somerset House and visited Forgotten Spaces an exhibit of entries for a competition asking architects and urban planners for new ideas for Londons empty and disused areas. There were some ingenious solutions including gardens and cafes perched on the Thames. The models and designs were shown in Somerset Houses very own forgotten spaces in coal holes storage rooms and passageways down in the basement. It was wonderfully atmospheric with the distant shouts from the iceskaters above. I had wande... 2012-1-4 12:31:15 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#108267 I went to see ScottishNorthern Island Operas small and quirky version of Offenbachs comedy Orpheus in the Underworld at the Young Vic the opera that introduced the music for the CanCan. They had updated the production which had originally made fun of Parisian Second Empire society to celebrity obsessed modern times. It was an ingenious idea that saw representations of heavenly Mount Olympus and the underworld designed as sleek bars and Orpheus and Eurydice living in a Hello magazine style paradise complete with puffpress journalistic captions. The comparison was apt as in the nineteenth century Napoleon IIIs Paris became synonymous with garish and vulgar ostentation. It was a time that saw the rise of the celebrity courtesan and the flaunting of conspicuous consumption in the form of haute couture and the new department stores. I believe that even Louis Vuitton packed luggage for the Emperor and Empress. French style of the period though inspired by eighteenth century decorative arts b... 2011-12-6 21:38:52 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#106776 While I was in Paris recently I visited for the first time the Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature. Rather than trace a history of hunting the museum contained a myriad of items used for or inspired by the hunt. There was a suite of rooms dedicated each to stags dogs birds and other animals real and imaginary and another suite of rooms featuring weapons. It was arranged delightfully with a mixture of historical and modern objects. The dog room was the most charming with rococo portraits of favourite hunting dogs juxtaposed with Jeff Koons ceramic Puppy. The bird room saw a similar mix with still life paintings of game birds hanging on the wall next to a kinetic sculpture made of feathers. The weapons were beautiful and intricate and arranged in cabinets and drawers revealing the odd surprise like an eighteenth century velvet hunting satchel. The drawers of items reminded me of the artist Mark Dions work so it seemed fitting that he had created an installation at the museum recreating th... 2011-11-13 22:07:53 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#104275 I went to Paris the other week and headed to the Palace of Versailles to see The 18th Century back in Fashion an exhibition presented with the Mus233e Galliera and displayed in the rooms of the Trianon. I had never seen the Palace so busy and it was quite a push to see the exhibits but well worth it. The first mannequin lit by bare light bulbs strewn across the carpet was wearing an ensemble by Alexander McQueen for Givenchy couture. I loved McQueens collections for Givenchy they were a glamorous and elegant contrast to his own label. The coat resembled a late 18th century mans cutaway and was trimmed with metallic lace that looked like it had been spraypainted the trousers had that typical 1990s McQueen cut but overlaid with dove grey lace with the scalloped edge of the pattern cleverly creating the waistband. A detail that subtly suggests that the garment is couture. Throughout the exhibition original 18th century clothing was displayed next to the modern designers work. There were ... 2011-10-9 20:46:00 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#103330 Perhaps it is because I had visited the Chanel Promenade at Harrods or perhaps due to the proximity of a building that resembles Kew Palace where we both had worked but I recently met a friend in the Tea Clipper pub in Knightsbridge. On my way home I passed a very quiet Brompton Road and was utterly charmed to see such attention to detail in that Chanel not only collaborated with Harrods on their window displays but also had Chanel and Coco posters adorning all of the busstops outside of the store. I suppose it is not a surprise to see Chanel pay such attention to detail I believe that they have a department that is solely concerned with the noise the makeup compacts make when they are closed it should be the cosmetics equivalent of a RollsRoyce door closing apparently.I was on the Rue Cambon in Paris once during fashion week and saw Lady Amanda Harlech the muse to Karl Lagerfeld rushing down the street wearing skyhigh black patent stilettos and a gunmetal ruffled velvet Chanel couture... 2011-9-26 21:37:20 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#102735 Normal 0 Having had to work on an almost unprecedented Saturday I jumped on a bus to meet a friend at Harrods and pay a visit to the Une Promenade a collaboration between the department store and the fashion house Chanel resulting in a series of window displays and enchanted forest of accessories and the promenade a series of rooms dedicated to a number of iconic Chanel motifs. It began by walking through a curtain of pearls covering a mirrored doorway leading to a monochrome garden with each of the rooms leading off of it. I loved the room inspired by the 255 quilted handbag. designed to make the visitor feel as if they were actually inside the bag it had numerous television screens showing the manufacture of the famous accessory with the most adorable segment involving the maker checking that a Chanel lipstick would fit into one of the inside pockets. Another room decorated in white and grey with mirrored panels replicating the mirrored staircase of C... 2011-9-18 16:52:40 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#101604 Normal 0 I found myself between pub visits on a Friday evening in the National Gallery. Unusually I quite fancied the early works in the Sainsbury Wing but then I realised that Devotion by Design Italian Altarpieces before 1500 was on and that it was free. It was extraordinarily beautiful and the most stunning exhibition design that I think Ive seen at the National Gallery. The rooms were dark and mysterious and rather quiet thanks to it being late on a Friday. A doorway incorporated into a structure built to allow a view of the reverse of the altarpieces mimicked the doorways of the gallery and created an unexpected enfilade and a vista of saints and virgins. The final room created an impression of a church with music and an altar with a crucifix and candles really allowed in the National Gallery maybe that romantic flickering was electric. It was a surprise to see the works put in their original context and the effect was all quite mesmerising.... The... 2011-9-1 20:21:32 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#100987 I went into the city yesterday to search for a building. I recently bought on eBay a print out of a book on architecture from the 1930s depicting plans and elevations of what was the brand new gleaming Courtaulds fabric offices showrooms and warehouse. I was thrilled to see that the building still survives sandwiched between much more recent structures. It seemed smaller and less majestic than in my print and lacking the bright yellow that appears to have been used in the book as an accent colour within a limited colour palette. The yellow has become an unintentional theme on the Harrods green of the wall in my hallway picked out in other prints paintings and mounts. I had intended to add a wash of blue ink over the bustled canary yellow skirt worn by Sarah Bernhardt in an 1880s Vanity Fair print but now the colour looks perfectly at home. 2011-8-22 22:04:37 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#100024 I popped into the VampA on Friday evening to see So Noble a Confection Producing and Consuming Chocolate 1600 2000. It was in the Sackler Centre a part of the museum where I rarely wander and it was an utterly delicious display. My favourite objects included a tiny silver chocolate pot with an unknown history. Perhaps an apprentices practise piece or a childs toy Another favourite was a 1980s ceramic Cadburys moneybox shaped like a chunk of chocolate. It reminded me of a tub of Galaxy hot chocolate powder with a plastic lid moulded to look like a chocolate bar that used to be on display in the 20th Century Galleries. I remember it fondly as it was the first time I can recall seeing something in a museum that I owned myself. Everything looked so pretty against the bright pea green of the gallery walls was it pea or lime greens are hard to define...... I really wanted Kawasaki green chairs in my kitchen but they still look lime too much yellow I think.The star of the show for me was Mos... 2011-8-7 17:43:47 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#99522 Normal 0 Wandering around Treasures from Heaven at the British Museum I found myself in a contemplative mood. There were some literally magical objects precious and jewelled housing a thorn from Christs crown or a saints shinbone. The magic was somewhat tempered by the text explaining the medieval industry in relics that saw saints skeletons split up and sent or sold to many different churches around Europe. Some of the saints are now unidentifiable without the flowers clothing or objects that can be used to decipher their identity. The exhibition was inside the old reading room with the lighting low and soft choral music. Having read E.M.Forsters The Longest Journey I kept thinking of the repeating motif of circling the square and how one of the characters if I remember correctly doodles circles inside squares whilst sitting in the circular reading room suggesting some sort of infinity. It all made the exhibition quite dreamlike and the reality of the... 2011-7-31 21:59:44 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#98596 I had planned a walk around town but rain stopped play so I ducked into Tate Britain instead. Hearing the pounding rain on the glass roof I spent a bit of time gazing at some of the Victorian paintings in greater detail. I had never noticed quite how many of the gentlemen in Friths The Derby Day have what look like organza scarves tied around their top hats. Im not sure why this was perhaps it was a way to distinguish men in the crowd in their identical ensembles. The importance of the top hat was furthur demonstrated in Augustus Eggs Past and Present No.1 where the hat sits prominantly upside down on the table. I believe that it was considered illmannered to show the inside of your top hat so perhaps this wronged husband was actually a bit of brute if his hat placement habits are anything to go by. Bizarrely the final room of Romantics had vanished and had been replaced with an exhibition on the architect James Sterling. I am fascinated by architectural mo... 2011-7-17 22:19:28 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#97664 It seems that my week took on a turnofthecentury decadence which began when I went to see ToulouseLautrec and Jane Avril at the Courtauld Gallery. There were some amazing oil sketches dashed out in bold colours with feint lines where dancing limbs had been seconds before suggesting the blur of movement. Photographs of the Moulin Rouge and souvenir carte des visites of Mlle. Avril showed her to be much prettier than the Lautrec works without the London strangeness that a contemporary article had noted in her face. But as my companion argued though the paintings and posters were not flattering they have guaranteed her fame as a frenetic and celebrated personality.The mood grew darker when I went to see the The Camden Town Group at the Fine Art Society. Although my favourite pictures were the graphic doorways and streets by Charles Ginner I found the paintings by Walter Sickert fascinating due to the infamous rumours of him being Jack the Ripper. I Googled it that evening and had a very u... 2011-7-4 21:35:17 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#96042 I heard a story once about superstitious Christian Dior and how when he was working for the designer Lucien Lelong he met a friend in the street who offered him the chance to open his own couture house. Dior turned down the offer and was asked again in the same location and again turned it down. However a third encounter happened just after Dior had found in the same street a metal star that had come I imagine whizzing off of the hubcap of a passing car. Taking it as a good omen Dior agreed to the offer and launched his own label.Years before I knew of this story I was walking home from school and found in the street a metal and enamel H. Convinced it had come off of a passing Harrods van a point I havent tried to prove I pocketed it as a unique and luxurious trinket. I still have it and may one day use it as a goodluck charm......should I ever have the opportunity to open my own couture house. 2011-6-12 12:42:00 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#95536 I wandered into the Wallace Collection today and instead of going strait upstairs to the rococo prettiness as I usually do I spent some time in the armour collection. Theres a strange relationship between fashion and the armour of the time. The curved belly of a metal breastplate shaped to deflect arrows must have inspired the peascod belly of Elizabethan doublets and the slashing of fabrics can be seen copied in the decoration engraved onto metal. What intrigued me most though was noticing how an armour piece on the shoulder which I believe is called a gardbrace had a striking resemblance to the ubiquitous fashion for wearing a cape on one shoulder...... 2011-6-5 19:47:16 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#95201 After a few recent museum visits this weekend I decided to forgo cultural activities and divide my time between shopping Starbucks and the pub. However the plan hit a snag when the first thing I saw on arriving at Selfridges was Washed Up an exhibition curated by Judith Clark as part of the Project Ocean series of events. I had read The Value of Things a book that parallels the histories of Selfridges and exhibits at the British Museum so the idea of an installation at Selfridges isnt too much of a shock. The surprise was the extraordinary magical beauty of Washed Up. The visitor is invited to wander along weathered decking poised over dead coral and driftwood. Inside mahogany museum cases which look suspiciously like those removed from the VampAs old ceramics galleries are a selection of garments relating to the sea from late Victorian seaside ensembles with striped fabric pleated to eliminate the stripe and resemble a plain colour a technique that seems to pop up on 1870s dresses ag... 2011-5-31 22:21:47 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#94720 Finally after much rescheduling with my companion and a beer in the Pirelli garden I made it to The Cult of Beauty at the VampA. It was quite wonderful with all the flourish sensuality and darkness that you would expect from the Aesthetic Movement. There were almost too many objects to choose favourites camp comedy teapots jewellery representing flowers of an almost popart colour and scale floral sprigged satin tea dresses it seems all aesthetic dresses have that small puff sleeve at the shoulder to allow greater movement and sublime portraits amongst them the quintessential tragic Victorian muse Lizzie Siddle the young Ellen Terry and the dazzling Mrs Luke Ionides.Long ago when I studied set design at Croydon College a man would occasionally visit selling old auction catalogues for a reduced price. We would buy them up by the dozen and I would read them cover to cover and learn words like ormolu and socle. One catalogue of nineteenth century painting had Mrs Luke Ionides and as it was... 2011-5-24 22:31:48 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#93973 Normal 0 Wondering which museum to visit it seemed that I had been to all my favourites recently so I decided to venture further than my usual taste for fashion decoration and frivolity. First port of call was the National Army Museum in Chelsea. I find it quite a sad museum to visit the very text heavy but I suppose necessarily so chronology includes some beautiful examples of dashing uniforms and heroic deeds and the skeleton on Napoleons favourite horse Marengo minus the hooves apparently used for inkwells but by the time it reaches the First World War the sense of loss becomes more apparent. The final galleries on modern warfare are hard to look at a space resembling a suburban living room complete with photographs of a dog and an Ikeaesque coffee table becomes unbearably mundane compared to current images of conflict. From the mockup trenches I headed to the Welcome Collection to take in Dirt the filthy reality of everyday life an intriguing explo... 2011-5-15 17:49:24 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#92966 It was lovely to see London en f234te for the royal wedding with flags and bunting crisscrossing the streets. Over the bank holiday weekend I visited the Museum of London and saw at the bottom of one of the cases sitting almost sullenly a tea caddy in the shape of Carlton House. This the real one rather than the caddy facsimile was the home of George Prince of Wales later the Prince Regent at the start of the nineteenth century and was fashionable and beautiful in a way that only he could contrive full of gilded neoclassical furniture S232vres garnitures and elaborate carpets.Although some of the furniture and even some of the statues from the gardens now residing at Kew survived the house did not. With the Princes taste for novelty and fashion it was demolished in the 1820s and I believe the columns were reused for the front portico of the National Gallery.Im sure it used to be situated on the corner where Pall Mall meets Haymarket and this is where a hotel was by the end of the ninet... 2011-5-2 17:29:29 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#91380 Normal 0 I was watching Gone With the Wind the other night well highlights of it. There are so many legendary things Ive heard and read about the costumes. I love her first outfit of white ruffles its like Vivien Leigh turned up in her own 1930s blouse and they just added a nineteenthcentury skirt. The green sprigs on the barbeque dress were an authentic period pattern but doubled in size so that they would read better on camera. In the original novel Scarlett wears several green dresses at the barbeque and the iconic curtain dress for example and should wear one to Ashleys birthday party but Walter Plunkett the costume designer asked the author Margaret Mitchells permission to change it to a deep burgundy so that there wouldnt be so much green. Miss Leigh apparently asked for the tulle stole to try to look a little more demure though she must have been in pain I read that they tried to create a cleavage for her using stickytape. The... 2011-4-10 13:47:27 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#90321 Normal 0 Normal 0 I thought I would have a bit of a Watteau weekend and began this by visiting the Royal Academy to see Watteau The Drawings. I wasnt expecting an exhibition of only drawings to be that sensational but the work was so beautiful perhaps it is the trois crayons technique that he inventedperfected depending on which review you believe that lends so much life to each image via the blush of a cheek or the stripe of a silk gown. Due to the drawings being loaned there was a real hotchpotch of frames that seemed to alter the feel of each work from rococo prettiness like a Boucher to sketchy modernity like an Emin to touching intimacy like a ToulouseLautrec. I suppose with the drawings of exotic foreigners you could throw in some Delacroix too but the sweeping gowns and chignons elegant soldiers and Commedia characters are pure Watteau. Each room was painted a different colour but the real coup de theatre were two large reproducti... 2011-3-27 16:31:13 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#89637 Normal 0 I went to see Life Legend Landscape Victorian Drawings and Watercolours at the Courtauld Gallery. A long title for an equally broad exhibition aiming to showcase work from Victorias long reign and including preparatory sketches and finished works. As to be expected with the location and subject matter there were some truly beautiful drawings. My favourite was undoubtedly a painting on silk by the Australian Charles Conder. I first saw this artists work in Sydney but his work does pop up occasionally over here particularly as he also painted in Europe including trips to the Moulin Rouge with ToulouseLautrec. His later work took on a dreamy tone like a coloured Aubrey Beardsley an effect heightened by painting on silk. Some of these were for fans and he even painted a train for a ball gown in the Tate collection I believe which was never made up into a dress. There was a male nude study by Edward Poynter and later that afternoon I found myself ... 2011-3-20 14:42:08 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#89281 I went to Southgate today for the first time and was thrilled to see that the underground station there was one of those iconic circular ArtDeco ones. I had been a couple of times to see Underground Journeys Charles Holdens Designs for London Transport at the Victoria and Albert Museum so I was well versed in the visual language of London Underground. When I look at the tube map or Simon Pattersons The Great Bear which I have on my kitchen wall after being given it as a flatwarming present I am baffled by how many of the stations I have used over the years for work socialising and just exploring. I have joined them up from the furthest point I have been to on each line reminding me of random drinks in the suburbs scenepainting for the ballet discount fabric shopping and avantgarde installations in warehouses and can see my sphere of influence over London or perhaps Londons sphere of influence over me 2011-3-15 19:58:53 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#87410 Normal 0 I thought I would make it to see the Imperial Chinese Robes at the Victoria and Albert Museum today but a long and lazy lunch in Ladur233e put an end to that idea. I believe the inspiration for the colours of the courtiers dresses in Sofia Coppolas film Marie Antoinette came from the sweet colours of Ladur233es macaroons. I cannot think of any other style trends that were inspired by food Medieval sugarloaf hats perhaps Or Schiaparellis lobster dress I heard that the Ladur233e macaroons are left for three days after baking to achieve the perfect combination of crisp outside and soft in the middle. Its a bit like the late nineteenthcentury Bostonian ladies who would keep their new bustled dresses from Worth for a couple of years before wearing them so as not to look too fashionable It seems that macaroons and fashion have more in common after all........ 2011-2-20 19:34:34 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#86529 Normal 0 Normal 0 I visited Tate Britain where I was very pleased to see that the central halls had once again been used to display sculpture. Grouped under the title Single Form there was some stylish and seductive work from the 1930s and 40s. The one that caught my eye was Europa and the Bull by Carl Milles firstly because as it depicted Europa being carried away by Zeus in the form of a bull it was the only sculpture to include two figures rather than a single form but I was also surprised to see Europa reaching provocatively to touch the tip of the bulls tongue. It certainly struck me as an audacious interpretation of the legend. 2011-2-8 20:42:02 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#85865 Normal 0 I saw a beautiful vintage evening dress the other day clearly influenced by Christian Diors Hline collection from 1954 which makes it reasonably easy to date accurately. Dior pushed the bust upwards creating a stir amongst fashion journalists who thought he was flattening it out. Apparently the collection particularly the bodice and neckline shapes were inspired by Tudor clothing. Perhaps its just a coincidence that you can see similarities between Tudor menswear and such 1950s womenswear as little round velvet hats and those luxurious swing coats although I also heard that swing coats were a 1950s necessity due to the postwar baby boom. John Galliano was also inspired by Tudor dress for his Diorient Express couture collection for Dior from 1998. Journalists were equally alarmed by that collection too suggesting that Gallianos work was becoming too costumelike. I believe it nearly cost him his Dior contract but those slashed leather doublet jac... 2011-1-31 20:06:57 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#85593 With a dreadful Guinness and port hangover I ventured to the Wellcome Collection to see High Society an exhibition about intoxication in different cultures. I was particularly alarmed by a number of early twentieth century products containing the almost miracle ingredient of cocaine. Like all exhibitions at the Wellcome Collection it was a bit disjointed and unpredictable but thats always part of the charm of projects curated there. In the mix was a small and very beautiful sketch of Lizzie Siddal by Rosetti and bronzes cast from crack pipes that expressed the real bleakness of drug addiction. The next day and feeling a lot more alert I went to see Bridget Riley Paintings and Related Work at the National Gallery. Im not a huge fan of her work but it had been a while since Id been to the gallerys temporary exhibit. I did not expect and was quite delighted to see one whole wall of the temporary space painted with overlapping and interlocking black circles. It w... 2011-1-27 20:12:58 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#84731 I met a girl in the pub the other night and her name was Alexandra. I tried to impress her by telling her all about Queen Alexandra and how really when she was Princess of Wales she was soso fashionable that during the winter in which she suffered from rheumatism society ladies were copying the Alexandra limpAlexandra in the pub went on to tell me that there was a Spanish king who had a lisp and so people in respect to him copied the lisp hence our pronunciation of Chorizo.I wonder if this Spanish king was as much of a trendsetter as Princess Alexandra We get the sartorial term princess line from her and so the story goes it was her slight embarrassment of a small scar on her neck that led her to wear the high collars and those amazing jewelled chokers that went on to epitomise Edwardian style and luxury.I saw recently in the VampA in the New Acquisitions case an Edwardian style dog collar choker by John Galliano for Dior. It was made of paste stones and plasticised lace two materials ... 2011-1-16 17:27:18 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#84464 I Found myself the other evening walking along Mozart Terrace in Belgravia. Mozart lived in one of the houses in 1794 and composed his first symphony there. The house is now adorned with a brown commemorative plaque and that small part of Ebury Street was renamed Mozart Terrace. There is also a statue of the young Wolfgang in Orange Square at the end of said Terrace. O.K. we get it Mozart stayed there 2011-1-12 17:05:36 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#83949 Finally had some days off after Christmas and new year and so took the opportunity to visit some exhibitions before they closed. I had already missed Cut It Fold It at the Museum of Childhood and I wasnt prepared to miss anything else First port of call was Dior Illustrated Rene Gruau and the Line of Beauty at Somerset House which was as lovely as I expected. I was surprised by how painterly his work was compared to the bold blocks of colour that seem so familiar. It was a treat that the exhibition also contained some Dior Haute Couture as well although they were only visible behind pink mesh which was a great shame. There was a prime example of Christian Diors Zig Zag line 1948 I think represented in an origamilike navy day suit and some later Galliano ensembles including one from his early days when it was all still about Edwardian chokers and biascut sheaths. Its hard to choose a favourite image but I did like the depictions of Yves Saint Laurents for Dior Trapeze line gowns. The st... 2011-1-10 17:10:34 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#82875 A few years ago I tried to cheer up rainy days by getting a Medusaheadpatterned purple brolly from Versace with clear plastic silver tipped handle and a black and orange Indian paisley one from Gaultier for summer rain. Both now seem far too brash to go out in public so I stick to a very classic Fortnum and Mason one which I bought after searching every shop in town for the tightest most narrow thinnest umbrella I could find. Apparently it was the fashion circa 1880 for gentlemen to have umbrellas rolled extremely tightly so much so that you didnt even unfurl it during a rainstorm for fear of unravelling all of your hard work Option B is my preferred one which is a raincoat. The risk of leaving an umbrella somewhere is too great. A perfect raincoat must have a belt buckled not knotted a storm flap and a hook and eye at the neck. I recently read that the Aquascutum archive containing their secret recipe for waterproofing fabrics was destroyed in the Blitz. I suppose they must have c... 2010-12-16 14:23:27 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#82744 Whilst at the VampA the other evening I realised that I had seen the Ceramics Galleries in daylight and at sunset but not at night. The VampA on dark winter evenings can be a revelation where a lack of daylight allows spotlights to throw dramatic shadows around the rooms. It wasnt too revelatory though sunset was much more spectacular. I did however enjoy the high vantage point from those long galleries trying to spot a friends flat in distant Belgravia and watching the iceskaters opposite in the grounds of the Natural History Museum. They looked very much like the Avercamp painting that is currently reproduced in glorious and slightly kitsch 3D in Fortnum and Masons Christmas window display. 2010-12-14 20:16:46 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#82126 I spent a lovely afternoon at the Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes exhibition at the VampA. That exhibit went on and on forever I lost my companion somewhere early on as the rooms continued with lots of contextual displays. Its always nice to see some Faberg233 and a thrill to see any Poiret dresses but they werent particularly necessary considering the real wealth of original objects from the Ballets Russes that were on show. I was surprised by how many costumes had survived ballet costumes get infamously worn out and ruined during a run of performances. A friend of mine made ballet tutus for a while and told me that dress rehearsals of which I saw a few were really an exercise in seeing how much stuff comes flying off the costume during the choreography. It was wonderful to see some original Leon Bakst costume drawings with the amazing Madonna blue and gold paint that he seems to use on everything. Slightly less sumptuous were the technical drawings and plans of theatre sets that... 2010-12-5 17:04:32 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#79926 I paid a visit to Shadow Catchers Cameraless Photography at the VampA in which the works could almost inkblot like be interpreted in many ways. Although it felt like the least successful exhibition Id seen in the temporary space where the old shop was oh so many hours spent in there. the photographs were an interesting exploration of old and new techniques that seemed to suggest a myriad of different things. An overexposed daguerreotype of a butterfly reminded me of Damien Hirsts recent paintings at the Wallace Collection photographic collages of ferns and skies were as dreamlike as an Edmund Dulac illustration and by the end it felt like I had looked at classical reliefs cityscapes celestial graphs and ordnance survey maps. After a scone in the Gamble room we went up to the Ceramics Galleries where the sun had begun to set. The incredible array of objects appeared even more spectacular as the golden light and Kensington skies reflected on the glass cases vases and tea cups throwing... 2010-11-9 20:34:14 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#79704 I checked out the Harrods Christmas window displays which were charmingly peopled with little fairies with twitching wings no doubt Cottingley style convincing dozens of children that fairies really DO exist. They added a lightness to the exuberant visual overload that seems to be the right aesthetic for this time of year. Slightly more enticing to a grownup imagination there was a window dedicated to the perfume Chanel No.5. I was quite mesmerised by the revolving gilded number five and a silhouette of the perfume bottle its shape apparently based on the plan of the Place Vendome in Paris. I fondly remember a Chanel lipstick advertisement from a few years ago Its tagline sensationally read Treat your lips to the colour nature did not dare to give them 2010-11-7 16:09:03 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#77526 I was very intrigued by the Murakami intervention at the Ch226teau de Versailles. Apparently the idea behind it is that Versailles was always a centre for great artists and that is a tradition that should be brought into the twentyfirst century. I admire the idea but found the choice of artist meant that there were few surprises. It did bring a little light relief to the endless parade of damasks crystal and gold. No doubt MarieAntoinette would have responded well to the gaiety novelty and colour.At the Musee des Arts Decoratifs another contemporary intervention was taking place in the form of Circuit Ceramique where sixtyfive artists working in ceramics have created spellbinding and surprising works sometimes subtle and intriguing sometimes grand and staggering. I wasnt expecting it and due to a hangover brought on by anonymous Parisians who bought me vodka shots I nearly missed it. 2010-10-10 17:16:35 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#76111 I realised that the maquettes for the six new proposals for the Fourth Plinth commission were in the crypt of St Martin in the Fields so I went along to check them out. My personal favourite at the moment is Sikandar by Hew Locke. I think it would be endlessly fascinating to see it in the rain and the breeze and the sunshine I would have voted for it but the voting card in the shape of the plinths profile was so stylish I took it home instead. I was intrigued by Brian Griffiths Battenberg particularly as it is one of my favourite cakes. My friends mother once knitted me some slices of Battenberg I think they would make sensational earmuffs.Afterwards we went and browsed the antiques market at Covent Garden what with it being a Monday. Maybe it was Sikandar still in my mind but I was tempted by gold and jewels. I saw a really pretty charm bracelet that reminded me of the seals and fobs that Regency dandies would hang from their waistbands it was from the 1950s and apparently charm brace... 2010-9-22 19:10:37 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#74746 Began the day with brunch at the Courtauld Gallerys cafe then wandered around the rooms so peaceful and quiet it feels like a secret gallery. The Degas ballet scenes remind me of a house in Streatham I once knew where a Degas hung on the wall. Well not an actual Degas but a print. Actually not even a print but a chocolate box lid and behind it was a safe built into the wall. I never found out what was in it.We toyed with the idea of seeing the Margiela but ended up at the huge monolithic Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden where we were taken on a tour of the Deco corridors and chambers of mahogany stainedglass and gilt mosaic. Our visitor passes and complete lack of masonic comprehension made the whole thing feel very cryptic. Afterwards having taken a wrong turn around Holborn we headed to the seclusion of Lincolns Inn Fields for a quick stroll before it closed for the weekend. A bus trip down Regent Street taking in the old Swan and Edgar department store building which was once Tower ... 2010-9-5 16:55:12 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#74005 So I was browsing the books at my local charity shop and I spotted a National Trust book on the history of fashion. I thought to myself that generally anyone who has an interest in the history of fashion has more than one book on it so I carried on browsing and low and behold there were more tucked away amongst the various novels and cookbooks. Regrettably I had all of them.I was browsing a second hand bookshop once and bemoaned the lack of fashion books to which my companion commented are you kidding what about this and picked up the Georgians volume of English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop published in 1906. A delightful but somewhat bizarre book presenting fashion history sometimes in the present tense and sometimes in the past tense and illustrated with drawings and watercolours which are notoriously unreliable as accurate depictions of past modes. It is still a fun book and even more charming that it had an old book mark in it left in long enough to stain the pages a very aesth... 2010-8-28 19:08:59 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#72587 The other day my work companion was having trouble putting on her gloves admittedly it is August but they were crocheted summerweight ones so I remarked that I once heard that in the 19th century they believed it should take an hour to put on a pair of gloves properly. I suppose ladies didnt have much else to do. Speaking of gloves....I also heard that when Cecil Beaton was photographing Vivien Leigh she complained that the gloves were were too small to which he replied that actually her hands were too large a comment that she allegedly never forgot.I once had a 1970s leather jacket in racing green vintage Austin Reed and really wanted matching driving gloves. I finally found a pair in the correct shade of green prohibitively expensive I spent my tax rebate on them and rarely wore them and never with the jacket. It looked too conceited. 2010-8-11 16:49:04 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#72045 I happened to find myself in the new Ceramics Galleries at the VampA having quite forgotten that phase 2 had opened last month. The new section was quite breathtaking row upon row of objects arranged by factory or country in glass cabinets filling an enfilade of rooms. Apparently a curator can get any object on request. I loved the groups of figures gathered like a bizarre rococo rave and Catherine the Greats Sevres cameo service apparently just to make sure the 800 pieces would be perfect they made 3000. The overall effect was quite ravishing. A brief visit to the fashion galleries and the cast courts followed by a beer in the Pirelli Garden and we were done....with just enough time to buy some Stephen Jones postcards. 2010-8-3 19:56:21 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#71802 The other day I finally visited Dennis Severs House on Folgate Street in Spitalfields. I didnt quite manage to become absorbed in the atmosphere but I did like the lady of the houses bedroom scattered with ropes of pearls ribbons billetsdoux and porcelain tea bowls. The house blends into its terrace of identical houses without giving away any of its secrets until you venture inside. After all that period charm we needed the glossy modernity of a museum so headed to the new galleries at the Museum of London. I was intrigued by Tom Hunter and James Mackinnons The Ghetto a two and threedimensional model of a street in Hackney but this time the terrace reveals its many secrets some dark some wistful and some beautifully ordinary.After a cupcake at Beas of Bloomsbury we headed to a pub quiz at Barons Court. On the way home I noticed the spectacular terrace of artists studios on Talgarth Road. I wonder what secrets that terrace could reveal........ 2010-7-31 19:37:14 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#71340 Today Ive been browsing online for information for my forthcoming trip to Paris. Thankfully Googles translating skills seem to have improved a great deal. I remember a couple of years ago reading about the Schiaparelli exhibition at the Musee de la Mode et du Textile where the translation informed me that Schiaparelli ruled Paris fashion with his great rival Coconut Chanel. 2010-7-26 16:25:46 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#70967 Went for a walk along the Thames path from Vauxhall Bridge to the National Army Museum in Chelsea. Even though it was a summers day everything seemed so forlorn and unloved from a derelict fa231ade that once led to a riverboat restaurant how elegant the awning covering the street and lightup taxi sign must have looked to that temple of abandoned dereliction Battersea Power Station. Even the Thames had receded away from the grey concrete embankment. Only a detour through Tite Street and a moment in front of what was once John Singer Sargents studio added a dash of glamour to the day. 2010-7-21 18:57:40 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#69525 So I went to Tate Britain to check out Fiona Banners Harrier and Jaguar two war planes in the Duveen Galleries. They seemed so small the most striking thing to me about these aircraft was that they usually contain a person and one who has such horrendous responsibilities. They didnt feel powerful or protective. One of the planes is positioned upsidedown and highly polished. It reminded me of the scene in the film The Aviator where Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes runs his hands along a gleaming aircraft in his pursuit of engineering perfection the scene then cutting to him running his hands along Cate Blanchetts body clad in biascut satin.In my hungover state I mused on a giant Cate Blanchett reclining in the Duveen Galleries her elbows squashed in by the sides of the hall her neck cramped like Alice in Wonderland grown enormous and stuck in the White Rabbits house. I thought of American Vogues sensational Alice inspired couture shoot photographed by Annie Leibovitz and went out to b... 2010-7-4 18:54:19 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#69257 Spent a Saturday morning at the new Galleries of Modern London at the Museum of London. I prefer to go on a weekend when the surrounding areas and Postmans Park are empty even more so earlier in the day fortunately Starbucks near St Pauls Cathedral opens on weekends. The galleries are a triumph as busy noisy beautiful and disjointed as London itself.There was a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar objects. A charming wooden doll with a headdress resembling a bandage and Vauxhall Gardens with a panorama of fashion from Georgian to Victorian audaciously accessorised with Philip Treacy hats. Although I usually visit the museum for the range and quality of historic dress on display I particularly liked the 18th century prison cell that you can step right into. I was expecting a scrawl of names hacked into the wood but many were beautifully carved in elegant script. A sad reminder of all the unfortunate people who had spent time in there. 2010-6-30 20:26:10 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#68207 I was once having afternoon tea at Sketch with a companion who had just started making collars and cuffs as a new way to accessorise. She was wearing a particularly sweet collar made of Liberty print cotton with crossstitched birds. Who should walk in for some tea but Isabella Blow Wearing a black lace trilby and a cream McQueen suit with a trompe loeil black lace print.Well we were there for the long run sandwiches and wine two cakes each and silver tea but Ms. Blow hurried out pretty quickly. My friend thought to run after her and give her a business card. no I exclaimed give her your collar She promptly did and Ms. Blow was apparently charming This all happened on the curb outside I was still eating a rhubarb mousse inside and warned that it was very hard setting up a business but exciting too give one of my girls a call recommended Blow as she went. I dont think my companion ever did. 2010-6-17 19:46:09 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#67186 Went to see the Victoria and Albert Art and Love exhibition at the Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Daylight was omitted and objects spotlit to create a sumptuous vista of ivory ormolu porcelain marble and diamonds. Amongst these riches personal favourites included a Minton dessert service with a tiered stand of custard cups enlivened by a bisque porcelain putti at the summit reaching down to help himself. There was also a bejewelled posy holder that was given by the Empress Eugenie to the Queen when she was on a state visit to France apparently The Empress was worried about the Parisians making fun of Queen Victorias dress sense and rightly so Her majesty arrived off the train wearing a clashing dress and bonnet and carrying a bag on which one of her daughters had embroidered a poodleOn the way to Patisserie Valerie for lunch we passed the memorial to another Queen Queen Alexandra opposite St James Palace which even on the sunniest days cannot shake off its aura of melancholic glo... 2010-6-6 19:57:15 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#66448 On Friday I went to see Yinka Shonibares ship in a bottle on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. Such a sensational piece of public art and my favourite fourth plinth installation since Rachel Whitereads inverted plinth in 2001. Its not particularly easy to see the ship or its sails and its proximity to the National Gallery reminds me of his more successful intervention there a couple of years ago but its a charming addition to London particularly over the summer with the sun glinting off of the curve of the bottle. I also went to the VampA to see the Horace WalpoleStrawberry Hill exhibition which was a bizarre assortment of decorative arts Cardinal Wolseys hat seriously I really thought it would have been silk rather than felt.... Its rather sad that none of these objects will be in the newly restored Strawberry Hill when it opens later this year. You almost have to memorise them and picture them in the original settings. Maybe it was seafaring reference in Shonibares work or the H... 2010-5-29 20:00:38 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#65962 Been watching the film Gigi with sets and costumes by Cecil Beaton. I think its his triumph more ravishing by far than My Fair Lady you know My Fair Lady is supposedly a play on the cockney pronunciation of Mayfair lady. Leslie Caron said that Beaton was the only designer to be on set all day every day but I also heard that he would randomly pull the extras at the Bois de Boulogne through the bushes to take photographic portraits of them. I so passionately recommended the film that a friend watched it with her husband and they disliked it so much that she refers to it as the Gigi incident and refuses to watch any films I recommend. I hope she watched it to the end to see Gigis beautiful white dress with blackbirds on the shoulders. Apparently when Miss Caron saw the sketch for the costume she exclaimed how wonderful the birds were. Cecil Beaton replied that they were supposed to be bows but if she wanted birds she could have birds 2010-5-23 20:50:56 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#65195 So the other night in the pub talk centred on sleep paralysis and my companion searched his iphone for an image of Henry Fuselis The Nightmare which I was convinced was in the Tate collection and promised to pay it a visit the next day. OK so it wasnt there but there are a couple of Fuselis so I wont lose that bet completely I was once told that Fuseli was erotically obsessed with hair so I always check out the ladys coiffures in his work. The Tates Britain of course collection looked resplendent. I was particularly taken with a room painted a very dark grey and hung with John Singer Sargent portraits. Brightly spotlit they were hung slightly lower than they used to be revealing the artists extraordinary use of bright flashes of red and blue in the most unlikely places like the edges of fingers and ears. It was a real treat to see Sargents unfinished Madame Gautreau the scandalous Madame X. In just one fat brushstroke he creates the rest of her dress. One brushstroke that suggests the ... 2010-5-13 14:47:36 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#64321 Weekend was commenced with a drink at the Windsor Castle on Campden Hill Road in Kensington. Legend has it that you could see Windsor Castle from its hilltop location. Not sure if I believe that I would be surprised if you could see Trellick Tower from there these days......Oh well. After chilling in Kensington Gardens for a while where a random pomeranian thought the best way to get some of my sandwich was to sit nonchalantly in my lap my companion and I headed for Blythe House The imposing building that houses the reserve collections of the Victoria amp Albert Museum. Here we experienced The Concise Dictionary of DressCommissioned by Artangel and created by Adam Phillips and Judith Clark it redescribes clothing in terms of anxiety wish and desire in a series of installations around the labyrinthine corridors and storage rooms of this slightly melancholy building. It was overwhelmingly beautiful and the fact that I went with a great gallery hopping partner in crime who was leaving t... 2010-5-1 19:51:45 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#63245 Today I thought I would tell the story of the Fontange a seventeenth century headdress of lace and ribbons....Madame De Fontange was Louis XIV mistress and according to contemporary accounts was as beautiful as an angel and as stupid as a basket. One day in about 1680 she was out riding when quelle horreur her hat got caught on a branch and her hair became unpinned with stylistic abandon she removed her beribboned lace edged stocking and tied her hair up with it. When she returned to the palace the new style in head apparel caused a sensation and soon all the court ladies were copying the look. So feel free to wear underwear on your head to kick start a trend good luck 2010-4-18 12:21:36 http://www.iannader.com/page16.htm#62633 Yesterday was a trek around town......from the delights of cherry beer and curry ketchup at the Dutch pub De Heims off Shaftesbury Avenue I whisked a very talented pattern cuttermakerstylist to Joel and Son on Church Street off Edgware Road to go fabric shopping. Joels has couture and designer fabrics and is particularly brilliant for prints. There was a beautiful Gaultier nude silk printed with bands of tattoos. would make a fantastically subversive prim schoolmistress blouse.Then onwards to see the Deborah Turbeville Exhibition at the new satellite site for the Wapping Project nearby to Tate Modern. I was especially taken with some beautiful images shot in the Palace of Versailles.Afterwards a walk over the Thames to Blackfriars for a pint of Peroni in the Black Friar pub. It retains its original 1900s interior which has a slight mausoleum aesthetic and as it was a sunny evening most of the punters were outside leaving the inside empty enough for us to appreciate the decor. With enou... 2010-4-9 13:21:23