Style - October 2012

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As Seen on Screen

 

Some movie scenes become imprinted on our memories because of what the characters are wearing as much as what they are doing. As Meryl Streep notes: "On every film, the clothes are half the battle in creating the character."

Hollywood Costume, the major autumn exhibit at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, is a treat for film buffs and fashion lovers alike, as it gathers together some of the most recognisable costumes in cinematic history. Dorothy's gingham pinafore dress from The Wizard of Oz; that little black dress designed by Hubert De Givenchy for Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's;and Tippi Hedren's pale green suit from Hitchcock's The Birds (above) are just some of the big stars on show.

Preparation for the exhibition involved a worldwide sartorial search when senior guest curator Deborah Nadoolman Landis set her sights on including the white suit worn by John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. US film critic Gene Siskel had purchased the suit at a charity auction in 1979. To mark the occasion of the sale, John Travolta signed the interior lining: "To Gene, so here's to a classic, your friend, John Travolta." When Siskel passed away in 1995 it was auctioned by Christie's and then the trail went cold until the V&A launched a high-profile media search. It turns out it wasn't far away - assistant curator Keith Lodwick received a phone call from the current owner in London offering the suit for loan - the inscription to Gene Siskel is apparently still legible.
Hollywood Costume, 20 October - 27 January 2013, V&A, London; vam.ac.uk/hollywoodcostume

Test Lab

■ Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil, €36 Facial oils have become hugely popular in the last few years, and Bobbi Brown's new cleansing oil shows why. This light oil made with jasmine flower extract, kukui nut and jojoba oils has a lovely fragrance. Massaging it in feels like a mini-facial, and is great for removing eye makeup without pulling at delicate skin.

High-low Fashion Fusion

A Dutch-Belgian collaboration focusing on 'slow' fashion as an antidote to our increasingly disposable habits takes place this month. High Fashion Low Countries features the work of three Belgian and three Dutch fashion designers, focusing on the themes of sustainability, craft and innovation.

Belgian designers Helena Lumelsky, Katrien Van Hecke and Céline De Schepper and Dutch designers Jantine van Peski, Natalie de Koning and Pauline van Dongen will be showing their creations in Antwerp's Fashion Institute and in the new MAD fashion centre in Brussels. The exhibition will also feature research diaries and video interviews for a behind-the-scenes look at how the designers conceived and developed their work.
11 October, Flanders Fashion Institute, Antwerp; 12-26 October MAD, Brussels; highfashionlowcountries.com

Store Front

Becoming a parent entails buying a whole lot of stuff - most of it wipe-clean and in a pastel shade. Thankfully, PacaPod have designed a range of changing bags that allow new parents to cling to a modicum of their pre-baby style.

The bags use a clever system of 'pods' - removable, zip-up bags designed to contain all you need for changing and feeding. Founder Jacqueline Waggett started from the premise that time is precious and the more organised you are the less time you waste. The Mirano (€120) is lightweight and despite having a 32-litre capacity, looks like a chic handbag. For a more unisex look the Picos backpack (€50) can be worn on the back or front. Both styles clip on to a pram.

Equally clever is the new Samsonite Fold Me Bag (€33) which scrunches up small (bound with an adjustable band) then opens out into a chic bag that can serve as a holiday handbag or as extra hand luggage.

The rip-stop material makes it sturdier than its feather-light weight suggests. pacapod.com; samsonite.com

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