Arts + travel

To the future and back

26th March 2020

X Terrace annual press preview – for London Hat Week

The annual X Terrace London Hat Week Preview Catwalk Show took place on 16th March at Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard, showcasing 54 hats made by milliners from around the world.

Milliners were encouraged to use the theme ‘To the future and back‘ as a way to show their vision of the future of their hat designs. Each piece was uniquely inspired by an arrange of ideas such as sci-fi, high tech, environmentally friendly, imagined worlds, and 3D Printers.

Monique Lee Millinery – Shangri-La at The Shard

Monique Lee Millinery was inspired by Renzo Piano’s striking vertical city “The Shard” and within it, a mystical utopia Shangri-La where people will live isolated from the world happily in the future.

Amina Marie Hood named her hat Mosstro Orbiter which has an eco-futuristic design coexisting in nature and was inspired by the “Fly Eye Dome” designed by R. Buckminster fuller.

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

London Hat Week Press Preview: Circus hat by JH Milliner (Jennifer Hughes)

The Retro theme allowed milliners to show the glorious eras of the past when hats were the centerpiece of every wardrobe. Many milliners portrayed this theme through vintage fabrics, accessories such as ribbons, feathers and velvet, and by focusing on the elegant shapes and details of the 1920’s-1960’s.

X Terrace London Hat Week: ZELLI hat by Miss Haidee Millinery

The show at Shangri-La Hotel, at The Shard, featured a selection of hats from the upcoming ‘Great Hat Exhibition’, which is part of the 2020 London Hat Week. The models wore outfits selected and styled by Hector & Karger. Hairstyling was by Toni & Guy (Ilford) and makeup from AOFM Pro. The show included shoes from Stivaleria Cavallin and sculptures from Abigail Ozora Simpson. The show was also generously supported by Maxoo fashion platform, Jack Russell Jeanswear, Yooney Choi, and Katherine Elizabeth Academy, and was staffed by fashion students from Coventry University London. Photos courtesy of @xterrace.

X Terrace have announced the forthcoming launch of The Hat Circle, a website for the millinery industry to empower and connect independent milliners around the world with hat lovers everywhere. https://www.xterrace.com/lhwmilliner

Arts + travel

Andy Warhol, Tate Modern, London

3rd February 2020

A new exhibition of Andy Warhol’s work (12th March 2020 to 6th September 2020) at the Tate Modern, London promises a new look at the life and work of the pop art icon. Warhol (1928-87) was one of the most celebrated artists of the end of the 20th century and his life and work continue to inspire continued discussion and new interpretations. The unique nature of his work continues to inspire artists and creatives around the world.

This major retrospective, the first of its kind for almost 20 years, will feature iconic pop images of Marilyn Monroe, Coca-Cola and Campbell’s soup cans, as well as work never shown before in the UK.

Twenty-five works from his Ladies and Gentlemen series – portraits of black and Latin drag queens and trans women – are shown for the first time in 30 years. Visitors will also be able to play with his floating Silver Clouds and experience the psychedelic multimedia environment of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, dated 1966 and featuring musical performances by The Velvet Underground.

Image above: Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987) Self Portrait 1986 – © 2019 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc / Artists Right Society (ARS) New York and DACS, London. The Andy Warhol Exhibition is organised by Tate Modern and Museum Ludwig, Cologne in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto and Dallas Museum of Art. For more information visit www.tate.org.uk

Arts + travel

John Lennon’s glasses in London auction

3rd December 2019

Sotheby’s to auction items from across The Beatles’s career including iconic Oliver Goldsmith wire-framed sunspecs

Described by the auction house as “The most iconic sunglasses in rock and roll history”, the round metal rimmed glasses were given to Lennon for a role in the film ‘How I Won the War’ and caught on as his signature look. They later came into the possession of The Beatles’s’ chauffeur, Alan Herring, left behind in the back of his Mercedes.

John Lennon sunglasses by Oliver Goldsmith c. 1966 – owned by chauffeur Alan Herring and now going to auction

“In the summer of 1968 I had picked John up with Ringo and George in Ringo’s Mercedes and driven the boys into the office,” recalls Herring. “When John got out of the car I noticed he’d left these sunglasses on the back seat and one lens and one arm had become disconnected. I asked John if he’d like me to get them fixed for him. He told me not to worry, they were just for the look! He said he’d send out for some that fit. I never did get them mended – I just kept them as they were as John had left them.”

Archive image of model Cluj – which was available in three colours. Image by kind permission of Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses

The glasses themselves were a version of the model ‘Cluj’ (see above) and an example with the same gold finish is still to be found in the Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses London archive, according to Claire Goldsmith, Oliver’s great granddaughter and custodian to an extensive rare collection of Oliver Goldsmith original frames with a rich and fascinating history. Claire said: “John Lennon was renowned for his eyewear and in particular the round metal frames we made for him. To be the brand that designed them is something we are very proud of.”

An original silkscreen poster, 1200 x 905mm., c.1967, pinholes in each corner (from the Apple Boutique) – with reference to John’s iconic round eyeglasses

The Beatles sale includes a number of other curious items including the psychedelic portrait of Lennon by Larry Smart (above). Also up for sale are a semi-acoustic guitar owned by George Harrison (guide price £40,000 to £60,000), shirts worn by the band, a parking ticket, and a collection of items from the homes of The Beatles, which include a toaster.

In 2007, a pair of Lennon’s sunglasses – worn during the band’s 1966 tour of Japan – were expected to fetch £1 million pounds, according to The Telegraph. The final amount paid for the glasses was never disclosed. (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1559161/John-Lennons-sunglasses-sold-at-auction.html).

The Sotheby’s auction takes place online from 2pm GMT on 6th December 2019 – 13th December 2019. For more information visit www.sothebys.com . All rights reserved. Photography: @ Sotheby’s Auction House / PA

Note after publication: the frames sold for £137,500 in the auction in December 2019.

Arts + travel

Fabienne Delvigne, Royal Milliner

25th October 2019

“Sublimating through difference”

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of her eponymous label, a new book is launched following the unique and fascinating journey of Fabienne Delvigne, Belgian entrepreneur and milliner. The book recounts the designer’s story and many commissions for members of the royal families of Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands, professional women, or men “with a sense of style”.

“All my clients have in common a love of beauty,” says Delvigne, whose extraordinary designs are produced according to superior traditional craftsmanship in the Maison’s Brussels boudoir workshop. The creativity and modernity with which they are carefully brought to life mean that they always remain a source of surprise.

“Fabienne is a daring woman who has more than one string to her bow and who has put her fiery lust for living at the service of her art. Fabienne is a true magician!” Diane Von Fürstenberg

The book itself – with outstanding forwards by Diane von Fürstenberg and Stéphane Bern, tells of the designer’s many bespoke commissions and one-off projects for Royalty. It also explains more unexpected work that Delvigne has accomplished outside millinery, including a stand design for the Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk for the Carrières du Hainaut©, the largest producer of limestone in Europe. For further details about the new book which is published by Marot S.A. Bruxelles in November 2019 (for £59.99 euros) visit the e shop at www.fabiennedelvigne.be/eshop/sublimer-par-la-difference/?lang=en. For more information on the designer visit www.fabiennedelvigne.be CN

Arts + travel

Guo Pei couture for Fashion in Motion

12th October 2019

20^th anniversary of Fashion in Motion – Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Fashion in Motion, the V&A will be hosting a presentation by the acclaimed Chinese couturier Guo Pei. Famed for designing Rihanna’s yellow gown worn at the 2015 Met Gala, Guo Pei is one of China’s most spectacular designers, dressing celebrities, royalty and the style icons for over 20 years.

Fashion in Motion: Guo Pei will be the designer’s first ever show in the UK and will showcase looks from her AW 2019/20 Alternate Universe Couture collection inside the museum’s iconic Raphael Gallery on Friday 1st November 2019. Above: Guo Pei ‘Alternate Universe Fall-Winter 2019/20 – coming to #FashioninMotion at the V&A

Guo Pei: creative couture – ‘Alternate Universe’

Fashion in Motion is the V&A’s key fashion event enabling anyone to take a seat on the front row. Providing a platform for both established and up- and-coming designers, the regular series presents free-to-attend runway shows for the public and has previously featured Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Yohji Yamamoto.

Guo Pei first presented her Alternate Universe collection at this year’s Paris Couture Week. The collection is based on the idea of a new universe where light and darkness co- exist, angels and demons sit next to one another and magical creatures creep out of the shadows. Combining the use of pineapple hemp fabric, Lafite embroidery and her signature three- dimensional embroidery techniques, the collection conjures up vivid images of mystical creatures from a different realm. Drawing inspiration from myths, fables, religious texts and the beauty of natural life, animal and insect motifs feature heavily throughout the collection, from the monkeys of Aesop’s Fables to the poisonous snake which lured Eve to steal the forbidden fruit.

Guo Pei has established herself as one of the most inventive designers working today. Showcasing the finest of traditional Chinese craftsmanship while incorporating contemporary innovation, her designs take inspiration from myths, legends, architecture, and her cultural heritage. Free tickets will be released for the catwalk events from 21st October 2019 at

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/fashion-in-motion-guo-pei CN