It was warm enough to wear an Italian silk jersey dress with a jacket, how pleasant it was to be able to wear light-weight clothes again!
They met at a local restaurant for a coffee and then went on to the V&A Museum for the exhibition on Italian Fashion.
Was it full of amazing, brilliant, simply wonderful clothes? Sadly.. they were all very disappointed.
There were, in total, only about six or seven truly glorious items on show. The following were, in her eyes, outstanding.
A cocktail dress, made of layers of scallops of burgundy coloured silk taffeta with a self coloured velvet wrap was glorious and she longed to be able to look inside the dress at the stitching.
The dress and coat worn by Lee Radziwill to Truman Capote's Black & White Ball was a masterpiece.
An evening jacket made out of silk, wool, fur and metallic thread was, literally, a work of art.
Last but certainly not least.. the Bulgari Diamond and Columbian Emerald set which had belonged to Dame Elizabeth Taylor was there.
The set consists of three pieces, the large brooch was given to her by Eddie Fisher, the necklace and the ring were given to her by Richard Burton. Who said about his then wife, "Elizabeth's only word of Italian is Bulgari".
But where was anything 'spectacular' by Signor Armani or Versace?
Sadly, very sadly, of these two great masters, there was not a trace. And the following sentence maybe holds the answer.
Back in 2003, she was taken by Lesley Balazs to The Royal Academy for a Retrospective Show of Giorgio Armani.
Lesley is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on fashion. She has, probably, the largest private collection of clothing in the world, the earliest items dating from the 17th century.
Several newspapers, the Guardian she remembers, being one of them, panned the exhibition. They spoke only about his love of grey and beige and about other stuff, with practically not one word on the actual items.
Hello? Did they go to the same exhibition? Did they miss that room of one of his early collections in that marvellous Indigo Blue?
There were over four hundred items shown, beautifully displayed on models that had each been made for the item of clothing, no pinning of the garment to make it fit the model here!
The central walk-way with the items, many on loan from their owners who were listed below the garment on little plaques, meant that you walked through the clothes and saw the back as well as the front.
They were beautiful clothes, some ravishing in the choice of colour, for Signor Armani does use colour and created in the exquisite fabrics and leather of which the Italians are so proud and for which they have every right to be.
To the Italians. Como means Silk, Biella means Wool and, of course, Tuscany means Leather.
Of Versace?
She thinks it is curious that there has not been a massive Retrospective Show, maybe there has been one in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum would be the ideal place for such an event, perhaps she has missed it? Who knows?
But that was yesterday, today it is a 'fair' day and as it is nearly mid-day, we better get our show on the road.
PipPip.. Dear Readers.. PipPip.
GeeGee Parrot.
April 5th, 2014.
They met at a local restaurant for a coffee and then went on to the V&A Museum for the exhibition on Italian Fashion.
Was it full of amazing, brilliant, simply wonderful clothes? Sadly.. they were all very disappointed.
There were, in total, only about six or seven truly glorious items on show. The following were, in her eyes, outstanding.
A cocktail dress, made of layers of scallops of burgundy coloured silk taffeta with a self coloured velvet wrap was glorious and she longed to be able to look inside the dress at the stitching.
The dress and coat worn by Lee Radziwill to Truman Capote's Black & White Ball was a masterpiece.
An evening jacket made out of silk, wool, fur and metallic thread was, literally, a work of art.
Last but certainly not least.. the Bulgari Diamond and Columbian Emerald set which had belonged to Dame Elizabeth Taylor was there.
The set consists of three pieces, the large brooch was given to her by Eddie Fisher, the necklace and the ring were given to her by Richard Burton. Who said about his then wife, "Elizabeth's only word of Italian is Bulgari".
But where was anything 'spectacular' by Signor Armani or Versace?
Sadly, very sadly, of these two great masters, there was not a trace. And the following sentence maybe holds the answer.
Back in 2003, she was taken by Lesley Balazs to The Royal Academy for a Retrospective Show of Giorgio Armani.
Lesley is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world on fashion. She has, probably, the largest private collection of clothing in the world, the earliest items dating from the 17th century.
Several newspapers, the Guardian she remembers, being one of them, panned the exhibition. They spoke only about his love of grey and beige and about other stuff, with practically not one word on the actual items.
Hello? Did they go to the same exhibition? Did they miss that room of one of his early collections in that marvellous Indigo Blue?
There were over four hundred items shown, beautifully displayed on models that had each been made for the item of clothing, no pinning of the garment to make it fit the model here!
The central walk-way with the items, many on loan from their owners who were listed below the garment on little plaques, meant that you walked through the clothes and saw the back as well as the front.
They were beautiful clothes, some ravishing in the choice of colour, for Signor Armani does use colour and created in the exquisite fabrics and leather of which the Italians are so proud and for which they have every right to be.
To the Italians. Como means Silk, Biella means Wool and, of course, Tuscany means Leather.
Of Versace?
She thinks it is curious that there has not been a massive Retrospective Show, maybe there has been one in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum would be the ideal place for such an event, perhaps she has missed it? Who knows?
But that was yesterday, today it is a 'fair' day and as it is nearly mid-day, we better get our show on the road.
PipPip.. Dear Readers.. PipPip.
GeeGee Parrot.
April 5th, 2014.
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