Friday Fashion Throwback

Yves Saint Laurent, French Fashion Designer, French Couturier, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, www.themodeledit.com, women in suits, women in trouser suits, models, Loulou de La Falaise

Yves Saint Laurent, Marita and Me.

Yves Saint Laurent gentle genius, is the reason that I ever took a plane alone to Paris in search of work and wonderment. Yves Saint Laurent was my first casting thirty minutes after I arrived in my agency. Yves Saint Laurent saw something in the very nervous, overawed and underprepared, freckled and frizzy redhead and pressed ‘go’ on my modelling career. The next day I was being photographed on a great big building site that’s now know as ‘Les Halles’ wearing velvet knickerbockers and a hat with a plume and feeling on top of the world. Merci Monsieur.

Give or take the hats and the shape of the heels, the french phrase ‘Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose’ springs to mind.

Fashion, Hair and Life Styling

As your style consultant, personal shopper, sifter of trends and alerter to unmissable style happenings I give you my four next-to-be attended exhibitions in 2017.

Molly Goddard, Molly Goddard exhibition, Molly Goddard What I like exhibition at the Now Gallery, embroidery, interactive art

Molly Goddard’s ‘What I like’

Now Gallery

Molly Goddard is a cherished creative, top of the milk, makes you proud to be British, gorgeously talented young designer. Mrs V has been up close and personal with her clothes and can confirm that they are beautiful in execution, design and their intent to make a woman lovely. Molly’s ‘What I like’ is an interactive exhibition at the Now Gallery and if you have even a passing interest in fashion or have a daughter, goddaughter, godson or friend of any persuasion, do as I tell you and grab them and your Oyster card and get yourselves over to this original exhibition.You will collect a magnificently large needle and thread from the central podium, you then chose a blank space and then just stitch away directly onto the sea of foamy tulle  suspended from above. There is no suspicion that you’ll endanger any top designer’s livelihood  you should simply let any creative juices pour out. Just experiment and let your imaginations get the better of you. Stop reigning them in.

 

 

The Vulgar exhibition, The Barbican, fashion, style, clothes, Exhibition The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined at The Barbican 2016/2017

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined

The Barbican

‘Vulgarity exposes the scandal of good taste’

 Provocatively the constantly evolving notion of vulgarity in fashion always makes me re-examine what it is exactly that makes something vulgar and why it is such a sensitive, personal and sometimes contested term. I was told by a designer that I admire and respect that there always needs to be a smattering of bit of bad taste in any truly beautiful piece of clothing. Whether it be the horn buttons on an Hermes suit, Burberry in-your-face logo check or the completely over the top kitch-ness of the queens coronation gown. On close scrutiny isn’t that true? Its what stops clothing being ‘nice’  The Model Edit is team Vulgar and I bet that’s news to you, but it might just be the reason you follow me (thank you, thank you, thank you from every particle of my body and soul).

 

Fashion On The Ration, The Imperial War Museum, fashion during the Second World War, fashion on a budget, fashion exhibition
Silk Scarf, Jacqmar of London, Fashion On The Ration exhibition at the Imperial War Museum

Fashion On The Ration

The Imperial War Museum North 

This exhibition aptly hosted by The Imperial War Museum North ( Manchester) takes us through the rigeurs of trying have a bit of style autonomy and individuality in any small way whilst juggling trying to stay alive on an eating, dodging air raids and financial kind of a level. I love that it mattered for the simple reason that a personal style and sartorial shop front satisfyingly set out, can make for a happy and confident individual, and the domino effect that this mindset can engender. Loving the Beetroot lipstick stain idea. Makes me think of a tonne of vegetable names for various make up hues. Gotta get me some Butternut Squash tinted lippy for the summer.

Onwards and sometimes upwards, and  having been interactive with Molly Goddard, conflicted at the Barbican and resourceful by digging in our garden for make-up victory, we now book an appointment with Sam McKnight at his retrospective hosted at Somerset House.

Tilda Swinton, David Bowie, Sam McKnight Exhibition at Somerset House 2017, hairstyles, celebrity hairstylist, Sam McKnight
Kate Moss by Nick Knight -Vogue UK-September 2000, supermodel, hairstylist, Sam McKnight

Hair by Sam McKnight

   Somerset House

Hair by Sam McKnight is the first exhibition to contextualise the wider cultural significance of hair and the role of the session stylist within fashion. It’s also a good chance to have a look at some of the most iconic fashion, beauty and style images from the last 30 years. There is always something to be derived from this genre of exhibition. The images can often inspire and unblock ideas your for your own style. Many of these photographs have become timeless due to the revolving route that fashion takes, and there are always nuggets that can be dusted off and buffed up to suit you.

Brings new meaning to the words ‘Making an exhibition of yourself’ don’t it?

Highlights and Low Converse

Carine Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld A/W 2016 Uniqlo collaboration, Carine Roitfeld grey pinstriped women jacket, grey pinstripe double breasted women's jacket, pinstripes, women's tailored jacket, leggings, Urban Outfitters, skinny scarf, Chuck Norris Converse All Stars, White Canvas Converse, glass beads, bead bracelet, red curly hair
A very successful writer friend of mine gave me some advice when I pronounced  two  years ago, that my future would be in the written word. He said that writing is like a muscle and it must be exercised everyday. Well here’s a post Christmas and New Years larks and capers, heads up. I am currently doing writing lunges and downward facing dogs, in an effort to be a prizewinner in the race to bring you style gold this year. Ain’t no big thing…

Just for my own comfort and to make sure that you all really listened to my helpful, possibly bossy recommendations, I am giving you a quick round up of stuff that stayed! These pearls may span over a couple of posts. Yeah.

Converse, Chuck Norris Converse All Stars, Black Leather Converse High Tops, black trainers, sports shoes, athletic wear, athleisure

Black Leather Converse

My precious babies, my go-to style shoes. Some of you have already dipped your toes into a pair of these. Couldn’t love you more. They are a Wardrobe must and you will not need to show your passport when you purchase. They are for everyone who would like a pair. Without deviation or hesitation I could insert my plates into one of my many pairs of these truly iconic style items and even if I was blindfolded and had no idea what I was wearing, my trusty  Converse trainer will define my look and shove me out the door looking the business. They are financially a very low entry item that can party with the rest of your fashion pack. They will elevate or ease any style statement. I was at a Christmas  drinks party down in Dorset and someone there was wearing her bestest, bestest new, one time only, super expensive gown with a pair of well loved white canvas Converse. She looked cracking. Let that be a lesson to you.

Carine Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld Uniqlo collaboration, Carine Roitfeld Uniqlo collaboration A/W 2017, grey pinstriped trouser suit, Mrs V, Vanessa Voegele-Downing, www.themodeledit.com, androgyny, Androgynous style, black leather Converse high tops, Converse trainers, Converse basketball boots
Kenzo, Kenzo H&M collaboration A/W 2017, leggings, Kenzo leggings, Kettlewell Sacha Cardi
H&M A/W 2017, H&M satin tunic, white Converse trainers, navy blue tailored trousers, pinstriped trousers
Tutu, Topshop Tutu, fishnet tights, white Converse trainers, Christmas tree, pink silk t-shirt

Now to the underpinning of the vestiges of beauty that I insist on hanging on to…

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