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V&A Fashion Curator Sonnet Stanfill and V&A Textile Conservator Susana Hunter unpacking a Dior evening dress

Last week my Vintage to Vogue course had a series of fascinating presentations from conservators Frances Hartog, Roisin Morris, Elizabeth-Anne Haldane, and curator Sonnet Stanfill at the V&A. They explained the detailed processes that have to take place before a historic garment is put on display, with examples from a Courrèges PVC boot to a Dior evening dress. It was humbling to see the amount of research that goes into every conservation decision, and the level of detail involved – including hand binding the INSIDE of 10 metres of skirt with specially dyed fabric – while working against the clock! But the effects were amazing – especially in the conservation of Dior’s Zemire, taking it from a stained and crumpled mess back to its couture glory. The inventiveness needed to show off historic dresses was striking, with display figures cut up and remade to fit specific garments. The biggest treat came at the end when Sonnet Stanfill brought in some historic garments in their special storage bags! This gave us a taste of how the collections will look when the new study rooms open for visits in 2013. The idea of having to prepare custom made padded hangers and special covers for each of the thousands of items in the collection is mind-boggling….

See more about caring for the V&A fashion collections here –http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/textiles/caring_textiles/index.html

http://www.vam.ac.uk/res_cons/conservation/conservation_staff/furniture_staff/index.html

Marjorie Field (Field Rhoades), fashion design, London, 1940s. Museum no. E.419-2005

Last week my course visited the Prints and Drawings Study Room at the V&A. This is an amazing resource for all subjects including fashion. We had ordered a selection of original designs – these included 1930s sketches by Norman Hartnell for the Royal family (with corgis!), Mary Quant, Jean Muir and Zandra Rhodes. Many of the sketches have fabric swatches and notes by the designers, you you get a real sense of the creative process. But everyone’s favourite seemed to be the 1949 order book by a little-known designer, Marjorie Field – very evocative of its period!http://www.vam.ac.uk/resources/print_study_reading/index.html

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/20th_century_fashion_drawing_illustration/index.html

A wonderful evening last night with the Vintage to Vogue group at the house of Meg Andrews, a textile dealer who consistently finds the most beautiful pieces. Her collection is stored in every room, in shelves, boxes and drawers, and all up the staircase walls. Even fragments are meticulously framed and presented so you can see how special they are. My favourite – the 1910 opera wrap with Poiret influences!

Her website is www.meg-andrews.com

Textiles on Meg Andrews' staircase wall

Fashion design by Marjorie Field Rhoades, 1949 (V&A Print Study Room)

Dress design by Marjorie Field Rhoades, 1949 (V&A Print Study Room)

My course, Vintage to Vogue: Twentieth Century Fashion has just started at the V&A. There will be guest lectures from V&A curators and conservators, and visits to the Prints and Drawings Collection and Meg Andrews textiles. As always, the students are interesting and varied and I’m looking forward to getting to know them.

I went to view the latest version of the crochet coral reef in Salisbury – I had seen the main UK reef at the South Bank Centre in 2008, but this version is different. This project is interesting on so many levels : as community craft project, as an example of mathematical principles, and as a way of raising awareness of maritime pollution. The reef is growing all the time as each venue runs workshops on making crochet sea creatures – I joined a group of women, girls and boys crocheting sea anemones and starfish. The workshop leaders were ex-Winchester students and we recognised each other, a happy coincidence! See the reef in Salisbury until February 26, or  on the web at www.crochetcoralreef.org

Detail of the UK hyperbolic crochet coral reef

detail of a late 1930s crepe evening dress belonging to Jan Harvey

The end of my Moving Fashions course, and goodbye to those lovely people until next term. But we ended on a high note with a show and tell of peoples’ treasures – too much for me to record everything, but there are a few highlights on the Gallery page

'Deauville', a design by Bakst executed by Paquin, 1913

I’m preparing a talk on Bakst, the costume designer for most of the key Diaghilev ballets, and his links with fashion, to be given at the V&A. This is a tricky topic, as the leading couturiers Paul Poiret and Jeanne Paquin each adapted aspects of the styles pioneered by Bakst while insisting on their own originality.

In this cold weather I’ve been very glad of my big wool coat, made in Leeds by Eastex c1955. Unfortunately I’m too tall for 1955 so it had to be trimmed with fake fur to make it long enough. The picture below shows what I hope to look like…

Coat worn by Mrs Suggitt, Nottingham, c1955