Zandra Rhodes:Unseen Exhibition

Last week I went to visit the Zandra Rhodes Exhibition at the Textile and Fashion Museum and was really glad that I did. You were allowed to take photographs without flash but unfortunately, I only had the camera on my phone. 

The exhibition was in 3 main sections, one was based around her punk period and this is a punk wedding dress:

 

Pretty posh punk, I would say. The fabric slashes were neatly finished off and the safety pins were beaded.

 

There were a lot of dresses with beautiful and intricate beadwork. The amount of work in each dress was staggering and as for the beading samples....well I know sampling's a good idea but I can't imagine having to do some much work for 'just' a sample. These samples needed to be big enough to test out the pattern too!  

 

 

 

I found the last section, the most inspiring probably because I could see a link with my own work but also I could imagine actually wearing these.  Sketchbook pages had been copied and digitally printed onto fabric and made into dresses.  My very first post was about a digitally printed blouse that I created using one of my water lily photographs. Wouldn't it would be great if I could create a sketchbook page that I liked so much, that I wanted to wear it!

 

If you do go to the exhibition and go by train, look out for the 2 for 1 offers. Also make sure that you don't miss the video that's in the first room on the left as you go in, well worth watching.