A Vivien Leigh Expo And Four Other Must-See Fashion Exhibitions To Take In This Year
The iconic actress will star in her very own V&A exhibition this summer. [Photo: Rex]
Fans of “Gone With The Wind” star Vivien Leigh will be able to get up close and personal with momentos from the height of her fame thanks to a new Victoria & Albert Museum exhibit.
This summer, over 100 of the fashion and film icons belongings will go on show at National Trust property Nymans in West Sussex.
While you wait, here’s what to expect from the celebration of the late legend’s life and style, plus four more fashion exhibitions not to be missed this year…
1. Vivien Leigh: Public Faces, Private Lives, Nymans
This largely unseen collection of Leigh’s possessions celebrates her double Oscar-winning career, featuring letters to her directors and designers, and some of her most iconic costumes, including a Christian Dior gown. The V&A bought the collection of heirlooms from the actress’s family in 2013 and after a successful show in York, they’re staging the exhibition at Nymans in West Sussex. The venue, is the former home of costume designer Oliver Messel, who worked closely with Leigh in some of her most iconic roles.
1 June - 4 September
2. Shoes: Pleasure and Pain, The Bowes Museum
Originally on show at the V&A, Shoes: Pleasure and Pain is hot-footing it to Manchester’s The Bowes Museum, to bring 200 pairs of slippers, sandals and heels from the last 2000 years to the shoe fetishists of the North. Expect vertiginous heels from greats including Manolo, Louboutin and McQueen.
11 June - 9 October, 2016
3. Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, V&A
The Victoria & Albert museum turns it’s attention to what’s underneath for its next big fashion exhibition. Starting in April, Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear will take us on a journey, tracking the history of our intimates - from corsets to Calvins. It will explore how we underwear has evolved in terms of support and sex appeal.
April 16 – March 12, 2016
4. Mad About The Boy, Fashion Space Gallery
A curation of work by major image-makers and designers including Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent and Raf Simons, Mad About the Boy explores our obsession with youth culture and how the image of the teenage boy is constructed through the medium of fashion. Presenting extensive work from now and dating back to the 80s and 90s, it looks at differing portrayals of the young man at a time when the world at his feet, from “outsider to sexual fantasy to reveller.”
Now – 2 April, 2016
5. Vogue 100: A Century of Style, National Portrait Gallery
The pages of the world’s most famous glossy come to life with this epic exhibition of 100 years of photography commissioned by Vogue, from 1916 to now. With over 280 prints from the Condé Nast archive and international collections featuring our favourite supers and design legends, from Moss to McQueen, it’s the most comprehensive celebration of the mag’s legacy so far. Not to be missed.
Now - 22 May
