Hollywood Costume sponsored by Harry Winston
The Victoria and Albert Museum brings the world of cinema to
London with the "Hollywood Costume" exhibition that opened its
doors to the public this weekend. Lead sponsor of the exhibition is
Harry Winston
Inc who has long been associated with the glamour of the world
of film.
The exhibition gathers more than 130 of the most iconic and
instantly recognisable costumes from 100 years of film making and
explores the art of costume design and its importance in building
character and storytelling. Professor Deborah Nadoolman Landis,
Senior Guest Curator for the exhibition stressed in her opening
speech that costume design "is not about the clothes but creating
authentic individuals" and hopes that this exhibition that cleverly
uses digital technology to bring Hollywood alive, will blow your
mind. Jewels, she believes are vital to creating character and play
an important role in costume design.
Frédéric de Narp, CEO and President of Harry Winston reminded us
that Harry Winston was the first jeweller to lend jewels to stars
for red carpet appearances way back in 1943 (read more here) and has since been
associated with the leading ladies of the day, both on screen and
on the red carpet.
You can see Dorothy's Ruby Slippers that she wore in 'The Wizard
of Oz' as she followed the Yellow Brick Road which are considered
one of America's most cherished artefacts. It is the first time
they have the United States and have been reunited with the blue
and white pinafore gingham dress Judy Garland wore in the
film. Also on display is Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress
that so alluringly billowed as she failed to keep it under control
in "The Seven Year Itch" as well as her revealing figure-hugging
gown from "Some Like it Hot". You will immediately recognise Tony
Manero's white suit that John Travolta strutted across the
"Saturday Night Fever" dance floor in " and Uma Thurman's yellow
"Kill Bill" tracksuit. My favourite dress is the silver beaded gown
worn by Carole Lombard in "My Man Godfrey" that just drips glamour
and panache.
Highlighting Harry Winston's involvement in Hollywood and the
importance of jewels creating a character, on show is the "Isadora"
necklace, a replica of the one that Kate Hudson wore in "How to
Lose a Guy in Ten Days." A 51.94 carat yellow diamond is suspended
from a necklace set with different cuts of diamonds in the house's
classic 'Wreath' pattern. The diamonds are set at different angles
to capture the sparkle of the stones and a rich play of light and
form.
The original necklace was made in 2003 and long since sold, so
Harry Winston recreated the piece to be displayed alongside the
yellow dress worn by Kate Hudson. Professor Deborah Nadoolman
Landis, Senior Guest Curator for the exhibition said: "We're
pleased to include Harry Winston's yellow sapphire necklace
alongside the satin yellow dress to complete the stunning ensemble
by costume designer Karen Patch." I was interested to learn
that when Karen Patch created the costume, she started with the
necklace and made the dress to flatter the necklace rather than the
other way round.
Do not miss this exhibition that brings you so close to
Hollywood like never before that you feel you are on the set of a
blockbuster or chatting to Martin Sorcese in the studio offices.
The exhibition runs from 20th October to 27th January and you can
book tickets online by clicking here.