Ballgowns: British Glamour Since The 1950s Review

Recently, I took a trip to London to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum with my college. We visited the ‘Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950’ exhibition, as well as the ‘Hollywood Costume’ exhibition. I found the Ballgowns exhibition really interesting with so many elegant gowns, past and present, by both established designers and more up and coming designers too.

My favourite dress was Gareth Pugh’s silvered leather dress because of its deceiving look. At first, I thought it was made from metal, but at closer glance you can tell it is made from soft leather. The tiny pieces of leather which make up the entire dress are very intricate and precise, making it a work of art. I don’t like how far the neck of the dress protrudes over the mannequins face, but I still think it’s a stunning dress.

Another favourite of mine which really caught my eye was Nicholas Oakwell’s gown. I love the star print, the amount of fabric in the skirt and how wearable this dress looks in comparison to some of the other, more extravagant gowns. The asymmetrical style of the dress would work perfectly if it wasn’t for the showing of the built-in undergarments, which looks really strange and, I think, makes it look a little tacky.

The latex gown by Atsuko Kudo was gorgeous with the black and gold colours working so well together with the lace pattern. I didn’t imagine latex would be a classy option for a ballgown, but on a slender figure, this dress looks so glamorous. This dress definitely took me by surprise.

It was fascinating to see a few of Alexander McQueen’s gowns in the exhibition as I find him an extraordinary designer, with this one being my favourite. I think the dipped hem of the skirt and wide hips are brilliant with the feathers, giving the look of an angel’s wings.

 

Downstairs, there were some interesting historical gowns and accessories, with this assortment by Christian Dior. The dress from his New Look collection was good to see as research for an article on Christian Dior and the New Look after the visit.

 

Another famous gown was Murray Arbeid’s, designed for and worn by the late Princess Diana. As simplistic as its design in, I think the contrast is beautiful, of both the red and black colours and the skin-tight and flared sections of the dress.

However, although most of the gowns were beautiful, elegant and extravagant, there were some dresses I thought were absolutely disgusting. As interesting as the digital printed lips on this dress were, and they may well have looked nice on a handbag, I thought this dress was hideous and I certainly didn’t expect to see anything this cheap-looking in a ‘glamour’ exhibition.

 

I didn’t even realise this apparent ballgown by Amanda Wakely was part of the exhibition when I first saw it – I thought it was simply a draped flag or piece of material. I definitely can’t see anybody wearing this to a classy event where a ballgown is in order.

 

But above all the other dresses, I think this Craig Lawrence number had to be the worst ballgown I have ever seen. It looked cobbled together and reminded me of foils from a hairdresser and there was no sense of femininity at all, something typically associated with glamorous ballgowns.

Overall, the entire exhibition was very interesting and informative, with a vast collection of ballgowns by so many different designers. The majority of dresses are truly stunning and elegant, spanning both historical and contemporary designs, and also including some iconic and famous gowns too. I found it a good experience to see these designer ballgowns properly, instead of just on pictures, and to catch a glimpse of true glamour.