Written by Textiles students in Year 12 & 13
A couple of weeks ago, our textiles GCSE and A Level students visited the V&A Museum in London to do drawing research for their individual projects.
In the morning, students visited the ‘Diva’ exhibition which celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining the role of ‘diva’ and how this has been embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film. It was an interactive display with outfits of performers from Marilyn Monroe to Lady Gaga. When approaching one of the outfits, the headphones provided played the music or song from that diva – great fun!
In the afternoon we visited ‘Gabrielle Chanel – Fashion Manifesto’, the first UK exhibition dedicated to the work of French fashion designer, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. It charts the establishment of the House of Chanel and the evolution of her iconic design style, which continues to influence the way women dress today. To see this sold-out show was fantastic, and the students all had their favourite outfits which they drew and photographed.
We also admired the fashion collections from the 18th century to modern day. Students sketched, took photographs, and made notes in the galleries, choosing outfits from the fashion areas that inspired them. They saw outfits of fashion designers from Schiaparelli to Jean Paul Gaultier, and imagined what it would be like to design and wear them.
The two exhibitions we saw in the V&A were captivating and it was great to have the opportunity to see two exhibitions that have been sold out far into the future. In addition, the trip allowed me to develop my drawing skills with the help of the textiles department. Year 12 Student
