…And "Fashion Galore" it certainly was. I cannot think of a better expression to have described this exhibition. It was a celebration of an absolutely extraordinary woman who had a careful eye for style that most can only wish for. She had been the nurturer of the most wonderful modern designers that the world has seen, from McQueen to Treacy, to Chalayan. Her provocative and awe-inspiring style is one that will be imprinted in our hearts forevermore.
I feel that since I recently watched McQueen & I before the exhibition, it definitely helped me to truly understand what I was looking at visually, and to be able to put it with the emotional response that the film had with me and how Isabella is portrayed. I was recommend that you do the same if you haven't already, as it adds another element to the experience. Isabella wasn't just a mannequin, she was a persona. Her life was about theatricality and drama, and it came through in her style.
I think one of the parts I was most excited by was the display of Alexander McQueen's designs from the AW1996 "Dante" collection, which was his first collection where he was taken seriously following his radical and shocking collection Highland Rape in 1995. Isabella saw something in him since his graduate collection, and it was clearly proven that she had found a star and taken him under her wing. Their relationship is really prevalent in the exhibition, which I felt is really important because they made each other whole despite their personal struggles and times where their friendship was on the line.
I can't say enough how much I loved the way the exhibition was curated. The set design which showed her garments was beautiful, it told a story, even the mannequins reminded me of Isabella. It didn't feel like it was simply her clothes on a mannequin in that way. The architecture of the show took you around in a way that felt like a narrative, starting with her early life and ending on the here and now. Needless to say, the clothes were exquisite throughout. They're so expressive and representative of her personality. They spoke for themselves even without the set design, especially her trademark hats by Phillip Treacy. I don't want to go into it all too much and ruin it for anybody!
At the end of the exhibition was this film by SHOWstudio. It is beautifully shot, and truly shows how her clothes moved with her better than it could on a mannequin. It all felt very bittersweet however, sure, all of this is beautiful but when you get to the end you realise that's it from Isabella, that's all that we will ever have from her again. It left me feeling a little empty and I wasn't sure if this film was the best way to describe her. It showed her creativity and style but also I feel like her difficult mental condition wasn't addressed at all. She truly struggled in the last years of her life and seeing her clothes on very happy-seeming models felt a bit… wrong. I can't fault the production whatsoever but it just left me a little unsettled. I might be the only one to have felt this though!
I completely and utterly recommend this exhibition. If you've already seen it, what were your thoughts on it as a whole? Do you share or have a different opinion on the closing film?
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