Club to Catwalk
London Fashion in the 1980s was a creative explosion and a time for great social change. Club to Catwalk, the exhibition, will look at how the impact of underground club culture was felt far beyond the club doors, reinventing fashion worldwide.
Exploring two major themes, ‘The Club’ and ‘ The Catwalk’, the exhibition highlights their significance on fashion in the eighties. ‘The Catwalk’ provides a snapshot of the most fashionable and creative designers working in London in the 1980s. While ‘The Club’ garments highlight how London’s clubs in the 1980s acted as a site for the convergence of music and fashion and as a scene for fashion experimentation. More than 85 outfits by designers such as John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Katharine Hamnett will be on display together with accessories by designers including Stephen Jones and Patrick Cox.
This exhibition comes at a significant time for reflecting on the fashion and ephemera of the 1980s as other cultural institutions are also choosing to look back. An exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia (NGV) focuses on the impact of social change in Australia during this era and it’s resulting intersections between art, music and popular culture. While The Met’s ‘PUNK: Chaos to Couture’ exhibition highlights the foundation of punk fashion and the style’s ongoing influence.
Club to Catwalk is on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum from Wednesday 10 July 2013 until Sunday 16 February 2014.
