NAOMI: In Fashion at Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL
(The exhibition occupies Temporary Exhibition Room 40 on the Ground and First Floors. Enter via the Cromwell Road entrance and turn right after passing the shop.)
I had planned to see this for some time but waited until the summer holidays ended in the hope of a quieter visit. That decision paid off. The V&A presents around one hundred costumes, both haute couture and ready-to-wear, by designers ranging from Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Dior and Chanel to Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler, Dolce & Gabbana and Azzedine Alaïa, alongside many younger talents whom Naomi Campbell now mentors. She is the first model ever to be the subject of a V&A exhibition. The show opens with video clips of her iconic runway walk and commanding presence.
Over four decades Campbell has transformed fashion, working equally well in photographs and on catwalks, elevating designers to global renown, and more recently using her profile to champion causes close to her heart. As one of the original supermodels and the first Black woman on the covers of Elle and Vogue France, her longevity is remarkable.
Personal items from Campbell’s archive include ballet shoes, childhood notes and photographs. Video interviews with friends and colleagues offer further insight into her life and influence. Yet she retains an aura of mystery, understandable for someone so accustomed to the spotlight. Despite early experiences of racism and discrimination, she has remained at the pinnacle of fashion.
I loved this exhibition. It is astonishing that a Jamaican girl from South London, who never knew her biological father, has shaped modern culture so profoundly. I will return to absorb more of her story and to admire once more her poise, her eyes and those incredible legs, not to mention the fabulous garments.
Runs until Sunday 5 January 2025. Open daily 10.00 am to 5.45 pm, and until 10.00 pm on Fridays (last entry 8.30 pm). Tickets £18 (including a £2 donation), Members enter free.
Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence at Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL
(The exhibition is in the Porter Gallery on the Ground Floor, just left of the main entrance hall beneath the Chihuly chandelier.)
Curious about the bright orange banner, I returned to the V&A to discover what Tropical Modernism entails. In the 1940s and 1950s unrest in parts of the British Empire, notably India and the Gold Coast (now Ghana), led to demands for independence. European modernist architecture, championed by Le Corbusier, embraced glass, steel and concrete in minimalist form, but it proved unsuited to hot, humid climates.
Architects Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew brought modernism to these tropical colonies in the hope that grand public buildings would foster goodwill toward colonial powers. In practice they adapted modernist principles with large overhanging roofs, deep eaves and brise-soleil shading systems.
In India, after Partition cost Lahore to the new Pakistan, Prime Minister Nehru commissioned Le Corbusier to design Chandigarh as a purpose-built capital. Fry and Drew contributed master plans for the city, controversially excluding street markets and cows.
This exhibition displays architectural drawings, building models, correspondence, period books, furniture, posters and even statues from the Rock Garden of Chandigarh. It also considers the roles of Nehru and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. Divided into colour-coded zones—orange, green and yellow—the show illuminated events near the Equator that I had scarcely known about.
Runs until Sunday 22 September 2024. Open daily 10.00 am to 5.45 pm, and until 10.00 pm on Fridays. Tickets £16 (including a £2 donation), Members enter free.
The Real Thing at The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London SE1 8NB
I attended a preview of Tom Stoppard’s most popular and autobiographical play from 1982. A small cast explores two married couples who swap partners following an affair between Henry and Annie. Their relationship becomes the subject of fictional plays within the play, while Annie’s adopted cause introduces further misunderstandings. James McArdle’s portrayal of Henry, obsessed with words and their meanings, was dazzling but delivered at such pace that even seasoned theatre-goers might struggle to keep up.
Bel Powley’s Annie recalls the role written for Felicity Kendal, reflecting Stoppard’s own life. At two hours thirty minutes including one 20-minute interval, it is a theatrical marathon. Clever and witty, it left me wishing for moments of calm amid the rapid fire dialogue.
Runs until Saturday 26 October 2024. Performances at 7.30 pm Monday to Saturday, with 2.30 pm matinees Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets £15 to £75.
Orquesta Mambarito and Víctor Marchangioli at Hyde Park Bandstand
(Off Serpentine Road, near the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Rose Garden.)
The second of three summer bandstand concerts drew a small but enthusiastic crowd to salsa rhythms and dancing. The weather was kind and everyone enjoyed a perfect Sunday afternoon in the Park.
South London Jazz Orchestra with Simon Selman / SwingDance UK at Hyde Park Bandstand
(As above.)
SLJO closed the season with swing and big-band classics accompanied by swing dance lessons. Simon Selman deputised admirably while recovering from hip surgery. A sudden downpour drenched dancers and spectators alike, yet the music and the fun continued regardless.
For SLJO membership and future performances visit www.sljo.org.uk.
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