Fashioned from Nature

Confused exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum looking at how the natural environment has influenced clothes and fashion over the centuries.

I say confused because it had too many themes, from the materials clothes are made from through to flowers and animals that have influenced design trends. Overlying the whole was a rather heavy handed look at the sustainability of clothing. Any of these themes would have made a good smaller show but put together the whole thing became unwieldy.

The ground floor gallery looked mainly at how all clothes were made from natural products before manmade fibres were invented in the 20th century. It’s obvious when you think about it but I’d not realised it before and w2as surprised at what some of the materials were made of. You’d think this would all be good but the show did look at the damage some of these processes did to the environment and the social deprivation it brought.  I did like the section on the use of flowers in designs and linking this to the growth in botanic gardens and the opening up of the world though travel to bring new specimens to Britain.

 

The upper floor looked at the growth in manmade fibres and the environmental work of contemporary designers. Emma Watson’s Met Ball dress made from recycled bottles greeted you at the top of the stairs. I loved Giles Watson’s Faberge Imperial Gown made of material decorated in a print of birds eggs based on a 1904 book. Also who knew that John Malkovich had launched a menswear collection last year!

Two fun facts of the day were that the RSPB was formed in 1891 to raise awareness of the effects of the extravagant use of feathers on ladies hats and the term “Mad as a Hatter” comes from heavy use of mercury in the hat trade. OK not fun facts for birds or hatters!
Closes on 27 January  2019 

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