A trip to see Dior and Mary Quant Exhibitions at the V and A Museum

The Fashion and Textiles department was very fortunate in securing tickets to two of the most highly anticipated fashion exhibitions in the UK this year. Thirty six KS4 and KS5 fashion and textiles students attended the V&A museum on Tuesday 11^th June 2019, when they had a fantastic opportunity to explore both the Mary Quant and Christian Dior exhibitions.

Within the exhibitions, students discovered how Mary Quant launched a fashion revolution on the British high street. The collection had a variety of garments and products on show, ranging from miniskirts and hot pants to vibrant tights and make-up. Through brightly-coloured shift dresses and pinafores with Peter Pan collars made from stretchy jersey, Quant’s designs represented a new sartorial freedom. She broke away from the constrictive corsetry and domesticated waspish waists of 1950s fashion, led by Christian Dior’s New Look of 1947, instead rebelling against elitist Parisian couture - and defining the youth-led spirit of the 1960s.

The Christian Dior exhibition contained a collection of breath-taking garments and perfumes providing a historical exploration of the fashion house and Dior’s relationship with Britain. From Princess Margaret’s 21st birthday gown to the thousands of paper roses blooming in the garden-themed chamber, the mood of Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams is decidedly British. The exhibition is a reconfiguration of the 2017 Paris show, Christian Dior: Couturier du Rêve at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, with a different thematic journey, sixty per cent new content and an original installation celebrating the country a 21-year-old from Normandy fell in love with upon his first visit to perfect his English.