St. Pauls, Two Shows, and a Blockbuster V&A Exhibition
Every visit to London I set out to go explore something old and something new. Truly, this is a city I could easily live in for months (maybe a lifetime?) and never get bored.
If only London weather weren't quite so shite?
This trip was limited in time and I was visiting with a number of friends that had not been to London before. So I went early to "do my own things" and then orchestrated a few things for the first timers.
As with many visitors, as soon as they figured out the miracle that is London Transport, they waved goodbye and went off to explore on their own.
And so did I.
My big highlights for this trip included time spent in Sir Christopher Wren's epic St. Paul's Cathedral, two hit shows and a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A).
2022 is a banner year for me as I got to visit the V&A twice!
First off St. Pauls
The imposing St. Paul's seen today is the major historic icon of "The City" (original sections of London and London's modern financial district). It was completed in 1711. So it is a mere 311 years old. I say this tongue in cheek as it replaced the 426 year old St. Paul's destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
The Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral
While modern "Walkie Talkies", "Cheese Graters" and "Shards" now fight for dominance on the London skyline, St. Paul's stands with unmatched grace and elegance. It is the center of The City.
Views from the Dome of St. Pauls
London's Financial District with the Walkie Talkie and (partially obscured) Cheese Grater
My last visit inside St. Pauls was 48 (ouch!) years ago at an age when I was immortal. So these many years later it was now a personal triumph to comfortably ascend all 528 stairs to St. Paul's to the uppermost "Golden Gallery" dome, with its peerless view. Sadly the famous "Whispering Gallery" inside the dome remains closed to visitors.
Services Just Ended
St. Paul's Choir Seating
The interior condition of the Cathedral is extraordinarily well cared for. Everything sparkles and demonstrates a truly active place of worship. It also houses numerous sanctuaries and memorials demonstrating Britain's gratitude for its modern allies in battle. The crypt below is the final resting place for authors, poets, politicians, church leaders, the architect, the Duke of Wellington, and Admiral Nelson.
Fashioning Masculinities
As always there were a variety of blockbuster special exhibitions on in the V&A. There was one on African Fashion, the Art of Beatrix Potter and one co-sponsored by Gucci and the V&A entitled Fashioning Masculinities to celebrate the history of men's fashion. I wanted to see the men's fashion exhibit, but knew my traveling companions likely would not share my interest, so when everyone was eager to depart for other sites I seized my chance.
The Exhibition presents men's fashion in three typologies: Undressed, Overdressed, and Redressed. None of the types is necessarily based on specific time frames.
Undressed presented the way fashion interprets and frequently seeks to drape the frequently unattainable perfect expression of male form.
Undressed
Overdressed, presents how designers throughout modern history have sought to design fashion to enhance physical attributes, attract and command attention. Overdressed Fashion is more than clothing it is bold testaments underscoring power and status.
Prince Alessandro Farnese' Swagger Cape
(Sofonisba Anguissola - Oil on Canvas About 1560)
Short or long swaggering capes popularized in Spain offered 17th century men the opportunity to drape themselves in expensive fabrics and show off a nonchalance. The concept extends to today.
Billy Porter's Red Carpet Cape
(Randi Rahm - 2018)
Billy Porter's Red Carpet "Swagger" Ensemble
In the case of Billy Porter's cape the designer's stated intent was to make Mr. Porter a "walking piece of political art".
Color, Lavish Materials, Eye Popping Colors
Even functional wardrobe staples commissioned for specific usages (such
as WWI and WWII bomber or aviator jackets) convey connotations of courage.
Second Lieutenant Gilbert SM Insall, VC, MC, RFC
(Edward Newling, oil on canvas 1919)
Overdressing can blur history with modern functional statements such as the use of the traditional Scottish kilt.
Bespoke Kilt in Black Watch Tartan
(Nicholas Daley / Glenisla Kilts, 2017)
The final section is Redressed. This section presents modern fashion as fusion and
complexity. This is where fashion moves from pure adornment to contemporary expressions frequently presented in monochromatic tones. Whether a zoot suit, James
Dean in his Levi jeans or the gender bending usage of men's clothes by Judy
Garland, Marlene Dietrich, and David Bowie, Redressed seems to kick
open the door to unlimited non-binary expression.
David Bowie Ensemble
(Thierry Mugler - 1996)
In the accompanying Exhibition Statement it states that this David Bowie performance ensemble for the 1996 Brit Awards was intended to use fashion to enthral and disrupt.
Fashion may also serve as a bridge between multiple cultures.
Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar
(Bernard Boutet de Monvel - 1929)
Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar commissioned two portraits to express his status bridging two cultures. The above portrait has him clad in western attire set against modern furniture. It was intended to convey his status and sense of contemporary style. Yet, he also had a second portrait completed wearing traditional Indian dress.
Monochromatic clothes tend to accentuate power. John Singer Sargent's portrait below provides an excellent example.
W. Graham Robinson
(John Singer Sargent 1894)
In this portrait Singer Sargent had his subject (writer Robinson) wear a heavy black overcoat cinched to the max. Sargent meant to accentuate Robinson's slim silhouette using the coat (despite the fact that the painting was created over a series of hot summer days).
Singer Sargent worked hard to capture every shade of black contrasted only by a white wing collared shirt and a jade handled cane. The artist presented Robinson as the quintessential London dandy.
Gender roles were also emphasized by many celebrities over the past hundred years perhaps no one more notably than Marlene Dietrich.
Marlene Deitrich's Severe Tuxedo Coat
(Watson & Son - Hollywood California - 1932)
Dietrich is quoted as saying "I am at heart a gentleman". Whatever she may be, she successfully glamorized men's attire for a generation of women. Her outfit in the film Morocco featured a tuxedo, bow tie, and top hat.
Yves Saint Laurent 1979
(Helmut Newton - Vogue Paris)
The Suit Dissolves
Exhibition notes that although the tailored suit persists as the epitome of male wardrobe, contemporary designers are busy redesigning it with irony and wit.
Judy Garland's Famous Tuxedo Jacket, Black Fedora and Black Nylons (Judy Garland (age 28), performs "Get Happy" from Summer Stock -1950)
The exhibition afterward features a quote from Virgil Abloh who expresses that fashion offers an opportunity to place all beings on an even playing field. The chance to blur long held, and often outdated, social norms.
The exhibition rekindled memories of a documentary about the life of Bill Cunningham the legendary New York Times photographer who set out each day on the streets of New York to capture street fashion. His keen street level observations celebrated the "everyman" sense of design. Style isn't limited to fashion designers. In fact many NYC fashion designers noted how Cunningham's photos regularly influenced / nudged their own work.
As the week came to a close we stopped into the Vaudeville Theater's box office in a hail mary attempt to see if the very sold out musical "SIX" might have any returns and / or see how the show's stand by seating works.
Amazingly two seats popped up on the screen while were there, so we finished the week enjoying the high energy musical. And, as I watched the stars of Six perform, it occurred to me how the costuming for the show echoed what I'd seen in the V&A fashion exhibit.
SIX
Although this trip began originally destined for me to continue on to Slovenia, Italy and Austria to cycle, emerging health related issues now require I terminate the trip and return home.
Travel, like life, is all about being agile as situations demand.
Roadboy's Travels © 2022
