The Design Museum celebrates women's clothing as self expression.Depending on where you stand and how much time you wish to give the consideration, it’s either a happy coincidence or completely irrelevant that the Design Museum’s latest exhibition, ‘Women Fashion Power’, has opened in the same week that Beyoncé Knowles was confirmed to have signed a 50/50 deal with Philip Green, and in which Victoria Beckham leads a list of Britain’s top 100 entrepreneurs.
That neither actually features in the exhibition – Posh Spice yes, Victoria Beckham no – isn’t really the point. As one placard from the Zaha Hadid designed space reads however, “Fashion mirrors society. Throughout history, the clothes women have worn have reflected how they were positioned in society.”
For Bey this changes on a near daily basis, from a Raf for Dior long sleeve number to front The Gentlewoman, to leopard print drawers on the cover of GQ; the latter’s transformation meanwhile, has seen Posh dip into short skirts, Beckham acquire a taste for corsets, and Victoria appear with a knack for balancing classic and contemporary.
But for now, on with the show.
At yesterday’s press conference (the exhibition is open to the public from today until 26^th April 2015), a white-female heavy posse received co-curators Colin McDowell and Donna Loveday, as well as the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.
According to McDowell it’s not a fashion exhibition, and shouldn’t be thought of as such; “All intelligent women, they take what they need from fashion,” he says. “The thing about our exhibition is it’s very much about reality. I think you’re going to love it, I’d be very surprised if you don’t.”
Speaking via a translator Hidalgo told us, “Why does what we wear matter? Because the garment is the presentation of self to others.”
Downstairs the exhibition space is substantial; painted white, it is angular, full of corners and adorned with lime coloured Perspex. Mirrors – large beasts hiding pillars, shards hanging from the ceiling – ensure it is inclusive: visitors can be a part of the exhibition, Insta fans can show everyone they’ve been there, that they’ve done that.
Advertised primarily around the 26 contemporary women who’ve each contributed an outfit for the display (a lot of red, black and white, predominantly skirts/dresses), the exhibition for the most part is instead a timeline of how women’s dress has mirrored significant moments in western culture.
A portrait of Jane Fonda dressed as Barbarella sits beside an image of ’65 era birth control; Germaine Greer’s photo is atop a copy of The Female Eunuch; there are bras and corsets, sashes and ‘Hunger Strike’ brooches from the Suffragettes, as well as Hollywood portraits and some Westwood, Louboutin and Chanel.
Opened with a full length image of Eve – from which one side of the room is filled with Cleopatra, Boudiccia, Joan of Arc, the other, Clinton (Hilary), Merkel and Obama (Michelle), quotes pulled from both Vogue and sessions of congress – the exhibition ends on the modern day, perhaps unfairly summed up with Marni for H&M, M&S as worn by Samantha Cameron, a Juicy Couture pink tracksuit and a Kate Moss for Topshop white frock. A SS06 Roland Mouret Galaxy dress ends proceedings.
Reads the accompanying press release: “Women Fashion Power looks at how influential women have used fashion to define and enhance their position in the world.” And it does, to some extent.
What it doesn’t do, or at least doesn’t shout about, is ask who designed the clothes – presented the ‘fashion’ – that the women wear; whose gaze came up with ideas that were then sold to the women, and who then sold them the idea.
“Although corsets continued to be worn,” reads the introduction to the underwear section, “the emphasis shifted from moulding the body to supporting it.”
Workshops and talks will accompany the exhibition – designer Roksanda Ilincic and Harper’s Bazaar’s editor Justine Picardie are already lined up – which, one reckons, will add extra life to such an exhibition. What would be really interesting though, is a SHOWstudio panel style discussion.
Which is not to say the exhibition does nothing; shared are personal viewpoints, facts, literature, photos and ideas, all which offer a further understanding via celebration; this shouldn't be dismissed. There is a lot of power for fashion present, simply within the confines of one room.
And perhaps, as Colin McDowell suggested yesterday, Women Fashion Power demands more than one look.
Words: Zoe Whitfield
See the full list of contemporary women featured here.
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