VALENTINO: MASTER OF COUTURE
Disclaimer: Photography was NOT allowed to be taken during the exhibition, hence the limited pictures.
We all know that master of couture, the last emperor and the lover for all things beautiful, the one and only Valentino Garavani. We are all familiar with his work and now we got the chance to see his most exquisite haute couture designs up-close at London’s Somerset House.
This exhibition is major in London, celebrating not only the work but also the life of Valentino. The entrance to the exhibition starts with a large metallic flower, one of Valentino’s remarkable signatures, that instantly raises your expectations of seeing picturesque haute couture pieces, being swarmed by chiffon, lace and glitter and of course have marvels designs placed all over the exhibition. Is that what you have in mind? That’s what I had in mind as well before I entered the venue. Obviously my and many other’s stereotypical schema of what to expect in a design exhibition has been proven wrong by this particular exhibition.
Once I entered, a member of staff, briefly explaining how the exhibition is mapped out and how it’s intended to be viewed, gracefully welcomed me. The first part of the exhibition is very personal and intimate; it almost feels like entering a private room full of personal items including letters from famous admirers, invitation cards to the most prestige fashion shows, floor plans of past events, photographs from his personal album and old press cuttings. Valentino did what all of us would do; collect little treasure of achievements for memory and a humble reminder of where it all started. It’s heart-warming to see one of the greatest designers sharing his career timeline and personal story of his adventurous life.
This is then followed by a room full of mannequins, dressed in the most marvellous Valentino haute couture gowns from the past; all numbered and colour coordinated by era and season. The room was set to represent a catwalk, ironically, the guests walk on the path of where the models usually do, while the models aka mannequins are placed on both side, some seated and some standing. There are some empty seats, with name labels of celebrities and public figures. All celebrities included were amongst some of Valentino’s fashion shows; from Charlize Theron to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. I didn’t only get to marvel at the dresses and see them up-close, but I also got to learn more about the fabrics, couture techniques used to create them and the details of each piece.
130 haute couture designs to soak in and I still wanted more. Luckily, that’s not where the exhibition ends; a room with a large glass table, containing several boxes inside of it, follows it. Some the of the glass boxes contained pieces of beautiful materials, that were seen on some of the couture design. I wondered what they meant and whether the fabric pieces just served as a detailed version of the gowns? Of course not, several screens, playing a video on loop, did accompany these pieces. In the video all you can see are two hands, showing the viewer how each couture technique is hand cut, sewn and stitched. I was in awe of how much time it took to create these pieces, how much precision, detail and care each piece carried.
Starry-eyed, I walked into the last part of the exhibition, the gift shop! This gift shop is exclusively for exhibition ticket holders only, meaning you can’t cheat and just directly go purchase goodies. The gift shop includes clothes from the 50th anniversary, elite books, Valentino perfumes, shawls and handbags. Lastly, postcards and a book especially designed and made for the exhibition. I couldn’t help it but get few goodies for myself.
Next, I went to see the movie, which was only screened for one day, as it’s usually available on DVD and anyone who missed it can purchase it online. I will not get into details about the movie, because I think it’s best appreciated when you see it for yourself. But I will tell you few things; you will get to see a lot of Valentino’s personal life, you’ll get to know his characteristics, his humour and persona, you’ll get a view of his atelier in Rome and you will carry the biggest respect to not only his work, but the man himself. An additional but very important thing you will also find out and learn is that fashion houses aren’t what they seem, they are not run by the designers, they are not as exclusive as they appear, and that fashion houses are run and owned by larger corporations. These corporations either control the fashion house entirely, including its creative direction, or they have a fair say on the business aspect of things. You will learn a lot.
I wish I watched the film before viewing the exhibition, because that way, I would have known more about the designer, more about his work, more about what it takes to design and make a gown and lastly, I would walk in into the exhibition with much gratitude.
This exhibition serves more than something to be admired, it teaches visitors about couture, about the hard work put into each gown, about the personal life of one man and his career, and most of all, about the fact that Valentino didn’t open the exhibition to have people admire his work, he opened it to have people appreciate the work he has done, the paths he has gone through and to take a piece of knowledge of couture home with them.
All Valentino wanted to do is make something beautiful and make women look beautiful, but he gave the world more than that.
If you're in London or are planning to visit London between December- March the 3rd, I beg of you to visit the exhibition. You will learn that fashion isn’t as shallow as it appears. And if you want to start a fashion business, well here’s a start, follow the footsteps of a great designer.
Photography & editing by Zinah Nur Sharif
