VOGUE 100: A CENTURY OF STYLE
Last week I was back in my beloved Manchester for a few days, and during that time, much to my delight, I managed to squeeze in a trip to the Art Gallery to see the wonderful Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition. I had heard about it a few weeks previously and knew of various celebratory events happening in London (including the very same exhibition being held at the NPG!), but I didn't realise there was a simultaneous celebration happening up in MCR. So naturally it became my mission to go, because I love Vogue and all things Vogue-related. Whether that be The September Issue, buying the magazine (hello pretty picturesque photo shoots that make my heart swoon), Grace Coddington's autobiography (read it), Alexa Chung's awesome Future of Fashion series, Teen Vogue back in the day (and this handy guide), this gorgeous book about all those iconic Vogue Covers... If Vogueaphile is a word, then b.a.b.e I'm a self-confessed one through and through.
And the fact that this amazing exhibition was being held in one of my absolute favourite places to go in Manchester, just made the whole thing even more special. The Art Gallery is basically a smaller version of London's Natural Portrait Gallery, and if you haven't been yet I would highly, highly recommend it. If I'm being honest, I think I love it even more than the NPG. It's a gorgeous place to immerse yourself in art, as it makes it so interactive, intriguing, accessible. So what better place to transfer the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition? The exhibition is on from the 24th of June till the 30th of October, and guess what, it's absolutely free. Cue the applause. I'm so happy they didn't charge because they so easily could have, however by making it free, it means that everyone and anyone who wants to get their Vogue dosage can waltz right in and get their fix. And I think it's so great and so important that this exhibition is easily accessible to all members of the public, especially with fashion often being seen as select, privileged and inaccessible.
As for the exhibition itself, Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has cited it as an "unmissable experience" and she certainly isn't wrong there. The large gallery space is dedicated to highlighting Vogue's transition and evolution throughout the passing decades. The superbly designed layout includes a video installation, physical copies of the magazines, a wealth of extraordinarily beautiful and captivating prints and never-before-seen photographs. And it's all so inspiring, thought provoking, interesting. I haven't felt so compelled to celebrate creation, nor have I felt so in awe of fashion, for quite some time. This exhibition is just fabulous. For me, I love Vogue for it's creative vision, whether that be via photography, art, fashion, music. I love how it's such a prominent and crucial part of popular culture, as well as how it's influenced the making of history. I love how it captures and summaries pinpoints in time. I love the innovation, the nostalgia, the beauty, the celebration, the aesthetic. I often don't consider myself to be Vogue's target audience, because I'm more of an observer, rather than an active participator and follower of the world of fashion. However going to this exhibition has made me realise how global and heterogeneous Vogue actually is. It means different things to different people, and the diversity of Vogue's audience attests to this.
During my visit I saw a whole host of different people partaking in this special experience alongside me. I saw a young woman eagerly showing her friends around, discussing the photographs she loved most. I saw a father and his young daughter. I saw a super fashionable young man who'd I previously noticed outside the library hours earlier. I saw a funky elderly man with amazing long hair and a Dumbledore-esque beard, adorned in a spectacular flowery suit. All these people who you'd effortlessly pass by on the street without realising the common interest you share. All these people for whom fashion is more than just a means of fabulous self-expression. All these people who've identified with Vogue in some shape or form. It was incredible. I loved every minute of it.
So as my own personal tribute to this great spectacle, I've picked out some of my favourite prints from the exhibition, all of which were eagerly noted down during my visit due to the no photography rule (which I accidentally had to break a couple of times). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do (the above Cecil Beaton number of David Hockney, Maudie James & Peter Schlesinger has literally made my life complete) and make sure you get yourself down to the exhibition ASAP!
Last week I was back in my beloved Manchester for a few days, and during that time, much to my delight, I managed to squeeze in a trip to the Art Gallery to see the wonderful Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition. I had heard about it a few weeks previously and knew of various celebratory events happening in London (including the very same exhibition being held at the NPG!), but I didn't realise there was a simultaneous celebration happening up in MCR. So naturally it became my mission to go, because I love Vogue and all things Vogue-related. Whether that be The September Issue, buying the magazine (hello pretty picturesque photo shoots that make my heart swoon), Grace Coddington's autobiography (read it), Alexa Chung's awesome Future of Fashion series, Teen Vogue back in the day (and this handy guide), this gorgeous book about all those iconic Vogue Covers... If Vogueaphile is a word, then b.a.b.e I'm a self-confessed one through and through.
And the fact that this amazing exhibition was being held in one of my absolute favourite places to go in Manchester, just made the whole thing even more special. The Art Gallery is basically a smaller version of London's Natural Portrait Gallery, and if you haven't been yet I would highly, highly recommend it. If I'm being honest, I think I love it even more than the NPG. It's a gorgeous place to immerse yourself in art, as it makes it so interactive, intriguing, accessible. So what better place to transfer the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition? The exhibition is on from the 24th of June till the 30th of October, and guess what, it's absolutely free. Cue the applause. I'm so happy they didn't charge because they so easily could have, however by making it free, it means that everyone and anyone who wants to get their Vogue dosage can waltz right in and get their fix. And I think it's so great and so important that this exhibition is easily accessible to all members of the public, especially with fashion often being seen as select, privileged and inaccessible.
As for the exhibition itself, Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has cited it as an "unmissable experience" and she certainly isn't wrong there. The large gallery space is dedicated to highlighting Vogue's transition and evolution throughout the passing decades. The superbly designed layout includes a video installation, physical copies of the magazines, a wealth of extraordinarily beautiful and captivating prints and never-before-seen photographs. And it's all so inspiring, thought provoking, interesting. I haven't felt so compelled to celebrate creation, nor have I felt so in awe of fashion, for quite some time. This exhibition is just fabulous. For me, I love Vogue for it's creative vision, whether that be via photography, art, fashion, music. I love how it's such a prominent and crucial part of popular culture, as well as how it's influenced the making of history. I love how it captures and summaries pinpoints in time. I love the innovation, the nostalgia, the beauty, the celebration, the aesthetic. I often don't consider myself to be Vogue's target audience, because I'm more of an observer, rather than an active participator and follower of the world of fashion. However going to this exhibition has made me realise how global and heterogeneous Vogue actually is. It means different things to different people, and the diversity of Vogue's audience attests to this.
During my visit I saw a whole host of different people partaking in this special experience alongside me. I saw a young woman eagerly showing her friends around, discussing the photographs she loved most. I saw a father and his young daughter. I saw a super fashionable young man who'd I previously noticed outside the library hours earlier. I saw a funky elderly man with amazing long hair and a Dumbledore-esque beard, adorned in a spectacular flowery suit. All these people who you'd effortlessly pass by on the street without realising the common interest you share. All these people for whom fashion is more than just a means of fabulous self-expression. All these people who've identified with Vogue in some shape or form. It was incredible. I loved every minute of it.
So as my own personal tribute to this great spectacle, I've picked out some of my favourite prints from the exhibition, all of which were eagerly noted down during my visit due to the no photography rule (which I accidentally had to break a couple of times). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do (the above Cecil Beaton number of David Hockney, Maudie James & Peter Schlesinger has literally made my life complete) and make sure you get yourself down to the exhibition ASAP!
You can find out more about the exhibition here, and if you want even more of a fashion fix, let yourself be dazzled by this funky vid courtesy of Craig Green.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SWOONIN'...
No comments:
Post a Comment