Bande à part

We discuss the exhibition ‘An English Lady’s wardrobe’ at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool which features a selection from a very large collection of clothes owned by one woman in the first half of the 20th century. See links below. Bassano Studio, Woman modelling bed jacket (1934): https://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/online/object/520641.html An English lady’s wardrobe, Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool (25 October 2019 – 1 March 2020): https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/walker-art-gallery/exhibition/english-ladys-wardrobe#section--the-exhibition Pauline Rushton, ‘Mrs Tinne’s Wardrobe: A Liverpool Lady’s Clothes 1900-1940’ (National Museums Liverpool 2019): https://shop.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/products/mrs-tinnes-wardrobe-a-liverpool-ladys-clothes-1900-1940

We discuss two 1940s films - The Gentle Sex (1943) and It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) - and the fascinating ways they portray wartime and post-war femininities. See links below. Rebecca Arnold, ‘Fashion in Ruins: Photography, Luxury and Dereliction in 1940s London’, Fashion Theory, Vol. 21, Issue 4 (2007): https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2016.1254426 Claire McCardell, Popover Dress (1942): https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/C.I.45.71.2ab/ Vera Maxwell, Jumpsuit (1945): https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/155844 Leslie Howard (director), The Gentle Sex (1943): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035931/ Robert Hamer (director), Anthony Mendleson (wardrobe supervisor), It Always Rains on Sunday (1947): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040481/ Arthur La Bern, writer of the novel It Always Rains on Sunday (1945): http://www.london-books.co.uk/authors/arthurlabern.html London Locations of It Always rains on Sunday: https://www.reelstreets.com/films/it-always-rains-on-sunday/ BFI, Introduction to It Always rains on Sunday (2013): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b4Pkl1JgFM Imperial War Museum, Anderson Shelters in London (1940): https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205070170

We discuss Jean Paul Gaultier’s incredible final show and the wonders of looking at couture clothes in museum storerooms. See links below. Rebecca Arnold, Fashion: A Very Short Introduction (OUP 2009): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/fashion-a-very-short-introduction-9780199547906 and https://e.jd.com/30536485.html Gaultier Paris – Spring-Summer 2020 Fashion Show: https://www.jeanpaulgaultier.com/en-gb/jpglive/ and https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-couture/jean-paul-gaultier Catherine Ringer and Les Rita Mitsouko: http://www.catherineringer.com/ The Clothworkers’ Centre at the V&A: https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/the-clothworkers-centre-for-the-study-and-conservation-of-textiles-and-fashion Paul Poiret, ‘Toujours’ Dress, 1911 (VA&): http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O139787/toujours-dress-paul-poiret/ Paul Iribe, Les Robes de Paul Poiret (1908): https://archive.org/details/lesrobesdepaulpo00irib Dress by Madeleine Vionnet, 1937 (V&A): http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O319608/dress-vionnet-madeleine/ Schiaparelli, Evening ensemble, 1938 (V&A): http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15665/the-circus-collection-evening-ensemble-elsa-schiaparelli/ Claire McCardell, Day ensemble, c. 1950 (V&A): http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74836/womans-day-ensemble-mccardell-claire/ Dress Collections in the UK: https://www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/collections-map/

We discuss Frédéric Tscheng’s 2019 documentary Halston and consider the American designer’s incredible work. See links below. Fréderic Tcheng (director), Halston (2019): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9358192/ Halston on Dogwoof: https://dogwoof.com/halston Jack Hazan (director), A Bigger Splash (1973): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071219/ (contains Ossie Clark show footage) Dwight Hemion/Joe Layton (directors): My name is Barbra, TV Special (1965): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243435/ Elaine Gross and Fred Rottman, Halston: An American Original (Harper Collins 1999): https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Halston.html?id=mLRxQgAACAAJ Leslie Frowick, Halston: Inventing American Fashion (Rizzoli 2014): https://www.rizzolibookstore.com/halston-inventing-american-fashion Patricia Mears and Emma McClendon, Yves Saint Laurent + Halston (YUP 2015): https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300211511/yves-saint-laurent-halston Jenny Lister (author, editor), Mary Quant (V&A 2019): https://www.vam.ac.uk/shop/mary-quant-hardback-157216.html

We discuss the Dora Maar exhibition at Tate Modern, and especially enjoy seeing her fascinating fashion and street photography. ‘Dora Maar’, Tate Modern, London (to 15 March 2020): https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/dora-maar ‘Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy and the Avant-garde’, Barbican Art Gallery, London (10 October 2018 – 27 January 2019): https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/modern-couples-art-intimacy-and-the-avant-garde Brian Dillon, ‘The Voraciousness and Oddity of Dora Maar’s Pictures’, The New Yorker (21 May 2019): https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-voraciousness-and-oddity-of-dora-maars-pictures Liz Jobey, ‘The mesmerising art of Dora Maar’, Financial Times (15 November 2019): https://www.ft.com/content/0ee21c42-05a6-11ea-9afa-d9e2401fa7ca Dora Maar, ‘Untitled’ (c. 1934), MoMA: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/56376 Dora Maar, ‘Untitled’ (c. 1930), MoMA: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/56382 Hans-Christian Dany, ‘MA-1. Mode und Uniform’ (Edition Nautilus 2018): https://edition-nautilus.de/programm/ma-1-mode-und-unifo Antwaun Sargent, ‘The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion’ (Aperture 2019): https://aperture.org/shop/the-new-black-vanguard/ Patrick Baty, ‘The Anatomy of Colour’ (Thames & Hudson 2017): https://thamesandhudson.com/the-anatomy-of-colour-9780500519332

We revisit our favourite game - this time choosing the fashion photographs we would like to inhabit. See links below. Nick Knight: https://www.nickknight.com/ Edward Steichen, Marion Morehouse, 1927: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/model-marion-morehouse-standing-with-both-hands-on-her-hips-news-photo/507047690 Helmut Newton, Yves Saint-Laurent, Rue Aubriot, French Vogue, Paris (1975): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/helmut-newton-19202004-yves-st-laurent-rue-6225247-details.aspx Gordon Parks, Fath Show Stoppers, Paris 1951: http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/about-gordon-parks/photography-archive/fashion-1948-61?view=slider#19 Gordon Parks on Google Arts & Culture: https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/m02t_dy ‘A Hectic Week of Paris Showings’, Life (5 March 1951): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0UsEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA102&dq=%22jacques%20fath%22&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q&f=false Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Empress Eugénie Surrounded by her Ladies-in-Waiting (1855): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winterhalter_Franz_Xavier_The_Empress_Eugenie_Surrounded_by_her_Ladies_in_Waiting.jpg Martin Munkacsi: Stephen Mooallem, ‘Astonish Me: The Making of Harper’s Bazaar’, Harper’s Bazaar (23 February 2017): https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a20537/making-of-harpers-bazaar/ Anthony Gordon (photographer), Alex Arts (model), ‘Alex Works: Careering through the Eighties’, The Face No. 100, September 1988 on Paul Gorman Is: https://www.paulgormanis.com/?p=21154

We discuss Mae West - her transgressive and contradictory negotiations of gender, sexuality, class and ethnicity, her body image and her incredible film costumes and extravagant jewels. See links below. Lowell Sherman (director), Edith Head (costume designer, uncredited), ‘She done him wrong’ (1933): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024548/ Wes Ruggles (director), Travis Banton (costume designer), ‘I’m No Angel’ (1933): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024166/fullcredits Leo McCarey (director), Travis Banton (costume designer), ‘Belle of the Nineties’ (1934): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024873/ Jill Watts, ‘Mae West: An Icon in Black and White’, Oxford University Press (2003): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/mae-west-9780195161120 Mae West speaks at UCLA (5 December 1971): https://comm.ucla.edu/content/speaker-series-mae-west-5121971 FIDM Museum, ‘Mae West’ (14 August 2009): https://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2009/08/mae-west.html Bert Williams, Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200038860/ Cait Miller, ‘Celebrating Bessie Smith: “Empress of the Blues”’, In the Muse - Performing Arts Blog, Library of Congress (30 April 2018): https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2018/04/celebrating-bessie-smith-empress-of-the-blues/ Jacob Bagwell, Anjelica Huston and Peter Lester, ‘New Again: Mae West’, Interview Magazine (11 December 2013, first published in 1974): https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-mae-west

We discuss Lina Iris Viktor’s mesmerising exhibition at Autograph and the 1981 documentary ‘Edith Head: Portrait of a Hollywood Costume Designer’. See links below. Lina Iris Viktor, ‘Some are born to endless night – dark matter’, Autograph (13 September 2019 – 25 January 2020): https://autograph.org.uk/exhibitions/some-are-born-to-endless-night-dark-matter Lina Iris Viktor’s website: https://www.linaviktor.com/ Sarah Cascone, ‘Gustav Klimt’s Adele Bloch-Bauer Paintings to Be Reunited at Neue Galerie’, artnetnews (30 June 2016): https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/neue-galerie-gustav-klimt-adele-bloch-bauer-paintings-535565 Christian Blackwood and Charlotte Kerr (directors), Edith Head (1981): https://www.michaelblackwoodproductions.com/project/edith-head/

We discuss the diverse and fascinating exhibits on display in ‘The Art of Innovation: From Enlightenment to Dark Matter’ at the Science Museum in London. See links below. ‘African Textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection’, Brunei Gallery, SOAS (11 October 2019 – 14 December 2019): https://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/african-textiles/ ‘The Art of Innovation: From Enlightenment to Dark Matter’, Science Museum (25 September 2019 – 26 January 2020): https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/art-innovation-enlightenment-dark-matter Ciba-Geigy Review: https://discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/search?q=ciba+geigy+review Caroline Alexander, ‘Faces of War’, Smithsonian Magazine (February 2007): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/faces-of-war-145799854/ Jeanne Willette, ‘Henry Tonks: Torn Portraits: The Art of Facial Reconstruction’, arthistoryunstuffed (1 July 2016): https://arthistoryunstuffed.com/henry-tooks-torn-portraits-the-art-of-facial-reconstruction/ Allison Meier, ‘The Sculptor who made masks for soldiers disfigured in World War I’, Hyperallergic (8 September 2016): https://hyperallergic.com/314255/the-sculptor-who-made-masks-for-soldiers-disfigured-in-world-war-i/ Sandra Kemp, ‘Future Face: Image, Identity, Innovation’, Science Museum (October 2004 – February 2005): https://wellcomecollection.org/books/WwVK3CAAAHm5ExyF and http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/future_face_exhibition_at_the_science_museum_london.shtml

We talk about the display The Clash: London Calling which just opened at the Museum of London and the National Army Museum’s exhibition of Abram Games’ wartime posters. See links below. The Clash: London Calling, Museum of London (15 November 2019 – 19 April 2019): https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london/whats-on/exhibitions/london-calling-40-years-clash Designed by: http://www.calumstorrie.com/ London Calling: 1979 panel discussion (22 November 2019): https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london/whats-on/london-calling-1979?id=232008 Lou Adler (director), Nancy Dowd (writer), Ladies & Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains (1982): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082639/ Martin Davidson, Stephen Verona (directors), Glenda Ganis (costume design), The Lords of Flatbush (1974): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071772/ The Art of Persuasion: Wartime Posters by Abram Games, National Army Museum (6 April 2019 - 24 November 2019): https://www.nam.ac.uk/whats-on/art-persuasion-wartime-posters-abram-games