Playing dress up

 

I was very lucky over Christmas and my recent birthday to receive some excellant books as gifts. Each one was something I'd asked for and tie in really well with my obession with costume, dressing up and artifice. You may remember I visited the Hollywood Costume Exhibition at the V&A last month which was really the peak of excitment for a glamour geek like me!

 

To further fuel my (unofficial) investigation into the theme I now own Dressing Marilyn by Andrew Hansford which covers the history of the relationship between Monroe and one of Hollwood's most iconic designers, William Travilla. Travilla was the genius behind the outfits in two of Marilyn's career landmarks, the pink dress she wore to sing Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend and the white dress which blows up about her waist in The Seven Year Itch, not to mention dozens of other outfits throughout her film career.

An interesting snippet from the book tells how Marilyn was orignally to wear a Travilla designed diamond encrusted bikini to sing Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend complete with a long tail of diamonds a diamond headress diamond choker and fishnet tights. However the scandal about Marilyn's nude calander shot came out as the film was being made and the studio decided she needed covering up not displaying more flesh! 'Cover her up, we are not selling her body'.

In a matter of hours Travilla came up with the exquisite pink dress of silk satin with it's huge bow and full length gloves which has since become so iconic and copied by many! The only things to survive from the original diamond costume were the choker and bracelets which Marilyn wore with her pink creation for Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend. Can you ever imagine her wearing anything else?

I really reccommend this book if you are interested in the old Hollywood and the fashion of the era. It also gives a different angle on Marilyn's life; one about professionalism and hard work and the clothes and her input into their design speak volumes about the woman and the legacy she has left behind.

My second great book is Kylie Fashion by Kylie Minogue and William Baker. This weighty tome travels the pop princess's career in a journey of haute couture and costume. Beginning with the  humble origins of a large brimmed sun hat with her bubble perm piled through to the first tentative steps with designers on videos such as Hand On Your Heart, right through to her triumphant comeback partly thanks to a pair of minute gold hotpants and a white slashed jumpsuit. 

This is a woman who now thinks nothing of wearing a costume of full feather headdress, making it difficult to walk, heavy plumes and corset so tight it almost prevents her from singing. This was the case during her Showgirl Tour. The corset was so tight she had to be cut out of it every night!

It's fair to say Kylie's style decisions have been part of her success. Working with top fashion houses and also up and coming designers fresh from fashion school. Not only has she helped to put new names on the map she has been a malable creative energy shaped and reshaped by fashion pushing ever onwards.

My final books of decadent design are Pin Up Girls of World War Two and Glamorous Movie Stars of the 1950's by Tom Tierney, both of which are books of paper dolls. I cannot express how beautiful Tierney's drawings are. He makes his creations look so effortless! On one page you may be treated to Audrey Hepburn in her beatnik blacks the next is an exquisite reproduction of her iconic red dress from Funny face made to measure Audrey's sylph like frame. It's like having a personal wardrobe for each famous star featured between the pages and each illusration is instantly recognisable. I have poured over the drawings remembering classic films and moments brought beautifully to life thanks to Toms eye for detail.

All these books have one very strong thing in common; they each show how profound costume and appearance can be. They show how something we may take for granted can leave a lasting impression and how the way we present ourselves can change our destiny and create our future. It can define and develop us as people and make us into something more.

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While we are on the subject of books I simply had to also share this gem! Although not strictly related to the theme, it does cover old Hollywood. I had to mention Bette and Joan, The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine.

 

This is a book that you can't put down. Cleverly written and never shy to lay down the facts I feel I now know our dear Bette Davis and Joan Crawford like old friends. From their early years as actress and dancer, the book covers every step of their eventful careers and their star crossed relationship. For two women who swore they had NOTHING in common the similarities in their lives are striking. Both leading ladies with HUGE egos and ravenous sex drives, bitchiness does not cut it when describing the battle between them for supremacy as the ultimate Movie Queen. Long live them both.

Hollywood Costume at the V&A

So what do you do on a cold and snowy dark January to make the most of your birthday week? Take a trip to London to see some of the most iconic and fabulous costumes from the last 100 years of cinema, that's what!

Last Sunday I caught the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the V&A before it roles the final credits and raises the lights. This amazing showcase of costumes is only on for another week or so (it finishes on the 27th Jan) and is well worth the effort if you can get around to seeing it.

The power of dressing up and artifice has always been a love of mine and something I investigate in my art work, so the opportunity to see these costumes on a grand scale and delve deeper into how and why they work was too good to miss.

 Ginger Rogers mink trimmed dress takes centre stage

 

I've been longing to see this exhibition since I first found out about it. One thing which really caught my eye was the fact that Scarlett O Hara's famous green dress was going to be there. As a huge fan of Gone With The Wind, or GWTW for us super geeks, I couldn't think of anything more wonderful than to see something from the film up close and personal.

With tickets sold out on the web, it was no surprise that we had to queue before we got in and the actual show itself was packed out! After having our tickets torn we were greeted by a huge cinema screen showing well loved movie characters, instantly recognizable because of their clothes, seamlessly edited together as they twirled, walked and swung their way across the screen. To our right was an old cinema style billboard announcing 'Hollywood Costume, starring: Spider-man  Captain Jack Sparrow Scarlett O Hara' and many more!

Turning the corner into a huge and black space we were greeted immediately by the object of my desire, Scarlett's green dress of velvet made from her mother's portières (that's curtains to you and me). It was as if Scarlett O Hara stood there herself! I was in heaven! 

That dress has had me enraptured for the past 20 odd years of my life. It symbolises everything I loved about Scarlett; her initiative, bravery, scheming and zeal! And there it was, just a foot away, looking as if it had just stepped from the screen, every bit as perfect as it was 74 years ago. Unbelievable. But a true testament to the power of the costume and it's design.

'The costume designer must know 'who' a character is before they can design their costume. No matter the era that the story takes place, the audience is asked to believe that the people in the movie are real and that they had a life prior to the start of the movie. We join our cast of characters at one moment in their life. Everything about them must resonate true, including their clothes'

We saw how Indiana Jones' costume was built from ideas and period details, his WW2 leather pilot jacket, bikers waxed trousers and army shirt all evoking adventure and action, while his fedora and shoes spoke of a more practical quiet nature his intellectual side. Everything right down to the angle of the hat brim was customised to create the individual, and instantly recognisable character.

By this point my eyes were on stalks; we'd seen period costumes from Dangerous Liaisons (exquisite) Marie Antoinette (not as good as you'd imagine) and the various incarnations of Elizabeth the First over the years (including dresses worn by the great Bette Davis!). It was interesting to see how each generation through the decades chose to re-imagine the past, each costume so very different but taking something of the details we understand in our present to evoke a time and person.

But there was so much more to come; Had you ever realised that Jessica Rabbit had to have a costume test? That those blue things from Avatar had every item of clothing made for real? We saw how animated characters had to undergo exactly the same planning as living actors in order to capture their personality and story. Incidentally, Mrs Rabbit's dress was based on Rita Hayworth's slinky number from Gilda, one of the most sexy characters from the forties to hit the silver screen!

The third gallery was probably the most awe inspiring. Imagine a room filled with the greatest and most famous movie stars from the past 100 years....now REALLY imagine it!

Can you see Nicole Kidman chatting to Ginger Rogers while Judy Garland sings a torch song to Brad Pitt, it is so crowded the air is virtually buzzing with star quality! Marilyn Monroe sips her champagne and Charlie Chaplin tells a few jokes. People make room as Natalie Portman pirouettes across the floor Marlene Dietrich takes it all in her stride, whilst being beautifully lit from above of course.

This is the jewel in the exhibition's crown, each costume was familiar, and each character they portrayed was linked with Hollywood glitterati. They spoke of bygone eras and real stories mixed with our fantasies.

Walking around the show I could name practically every film and character, but seeing the costumes up close also took me closer to the wearer, the real person within them or not within them as the case may be. Above each outfit was a small projection screen displaying the actor's face in a slow motion clip from the relevant film, it was a wonderful way of representing them and putting the costume in context. 

 

I was fascinated to see how small the likes of Joan Crawford and Claudette Colbert were in real life (each costume in the exhibition being fitted to a life size mannequin of the wearer). Even the voluptuous Marilyn Monroe was tiny waisted. I was very excited to see her 'nude' gown from Some Like it Hot and her infamous white dress from The Seven year Itch. Having visited the Getty exhibition of her outfits and costumes last year I was keen to add yet more of her clothing to my list. I have watched every film she's made and committed each dress to memory! To see them as real tangible items adds a new dimension to their mythical status.

It's true these might have only been clothes once worn by someone in a film, but every garment in the Hollywood Costume exhibition represented a personal memory or point in time for us the visitors. They not only brought to mind the fabulous films and stories we have grown up with or become fans of (films which represent whole universes of cult and culture) but they also symbolise the legends of the actors who wore them and allow us to imagine for a moment being in the presence of Hollywood royalty, which I suppose we were, the costumes being stars in their own right.

Top moments of the Hollywood Costume exhibition:

-Finding out who Harry Winston is, after years of hearing Marilyn sing about him in Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, 

 'Talk to me Harry Winston, tell me all about it!'

Turns out Harry Winston is only one of the oldest jewellers in the USA, and the FIRST to hire jewels to stars on the red carpet. The House of Harry Winston caters to all the rich and famous and has done for the past 70 years! Harry Winston is the lead sponsor of the Hollywood Costume exhibition.

-Taking a look at a showgirl costume from Broadway Melody of 1929 and thinking that the outfit has probably outlived the young girl who once high kicked in it.

-Seeing Ginger Rogers gown for 1944 film lady in the Dark. It was encrusted with beads and sequins but also had a mink trimmed train which set the studio back a cool $35000! And we're talking old money here!

-Learning that Darth Vader's costume is a mixture of biker leathers, a nazi helmet and a monks cloak found in the medieval department!

-Being able to view Marlene Dietrich's famous top hat and tails which she daringly wore to kiss her female co-star in 1930 film Morocco, pre Hays code

Affordable art for all! Well, until 13th Nov!

'Top Bunk! has now become the best-selling Cornerhouse Projects exhibition in recent memory'

This was the news on Facebook this week! The show co-curated by Bren O Callaghan and myself which launched earlier this month has already sold more work than any other Cornerhouse Projects exhibition and it's not even done yet!

With just under two weeks left you can still see work by The Hammo, John Powell-Jones, Simon Misra, David Bailey, Tasha Whittle, Adam Cadwell and Bryony Jackson and myself in the Cornerhouse cafe-bar.

All the work is for sale and is made up of limited edition prints and original art work at very affordable prices! So if you're looking for a Christmas present with a difference this year get down there while you can!

For a list of work and prices you can download the exhibition guide HERE

Cornerhouse 70 Oxford St Manchester M1 5NH

Other news:

Sketch-O-Matic which was launched in conjunction with Top Bunk! to promote accessible and affordable art was also a huge hit with well over 1000 visitors in it's 10 day run! This simple idea of an automated photo booth where an artist replaces the camera really captured the public's imagination.

On the opening night I got filmed for a short piece about the booth and you can see me amongst other Manchester artists talking about our experiences with Sketch-O-Matic in this one off video :)

I wanna booth with you!

 Some of last nights portraits while I was in the Sketch-O-Matic booth

This week sees the return of Sketch-O-Matic at the Cornerhouse Manchester. Held in conjunction with Top Bunk! currently exhibiting in the cafe-bar, Sketch-O-Matic is a full size photo booth where the camera is replaced by an miniaturised artist studio and one very cramped artist!

Only on until this coming Sunday come and catch it while you can and get you portrait done by one of over 40 Manchester artists including ME!

My confirmed times are:

Friday 7-9pm

Saturday 7-8pm

Thursday afternoon tbc!

I was in there last night for two hours and had a blast drawing a host of beautiful Mancunians! I love your faces people! See my Facebook page for updates and photos of portraits done so far!...

Tonight!

It's tonight, it's new art and it's Top Bunk!

Affordable limited edition prints from artists both local and from around the UK:

Hammo, John Powell-Jones, Gemma Parker, Simon Misra, Emma Mount, David Bailey, Tasha Whittle, Adam Cadwell and Bryony Jackson
  
6pm Cornerhouse Cafe-bar

Runs until 13th Nov 2012

70 Oxford Rd
Manchester
M1 5NH

Top Bunk!

 

I was always drawing. Give me some paper, give me an old telephone book, hell, let me loose on my bedroom wall and I would draw on it! (which indeed I did, it had a lovely scene I like to call 'Dinosaur Utopia' around it's entirety, my Mum and Dad were very understanding towards the creative soul). Such was the pattern of my childhood when I was an artist before I was an 'artist'. 

I drew cats, mermaids the occasional A Team reference, made up historical scenes and girls, always girls! Girls in big dresses, girls with huge boobs and hair, girls with punk attitude and killer heels. Above all, girls with glamour. Nothing much has changed, it's just now I can officially call it art because I am offcially an artist.

That is one of the reasons I am so excited about Top Bunk! a new show taking place in the Cornerhouse Cafe-Bar next month. As the press release states;

Artists don’t tumble from moulds in institutions, the innate spark is not taught but fanned to life beneath catalogue-bought duvet sets and candlewick throws. Sprawled across the floor or hunched over a hand-me-down desk, doodles become sketches, words become poems, wild imaginings scurry for shelter at the back of the wardrobe; soft, pink and glistening, yet to form a hard shell to deflect the criticism that awaits.

Top Bunk! is a Cornerhouse Projects exhibition that seeks to capture the spark of enthusiasm before it bends to fit the restrictive moulds that await; from academia to peer review and the cost of living. No subject is unsuited, no method discouraged. A range of responses include wistful juvenilia, rampaging robots, melancholia, psychedelic daydreams, teen-fan adulation, the allure of adulthood and beginning of sexual fruition.

I am showing two pieces in this show, which I have also helped to curate alongside Bren O Callaghan Cornerhouse's Visual Arts Programme Manager. The first is the pin up girl for the exhibtion; my portait of Layla as seen in the poster, who encapsulates the quinisential 1950's idealised teen. The second is a new piece inspired by my many hours studying the 1970's Jackie Annuals I was given as a child. They were from a bygone era even when I was a kid but I used to love reading them from cover to cover; taking in the problem pages, and fashion tips, loving the picture stories with their super glam illustrations.

 A photo of 'Jackie' in progress, prints of the finished piece can be seen at Top Bunk!

'Jackie' is a painting I created remembering those 70's style hints and Bay City Rollers posters mixed with the awkward feelings of first love and trying to fit in. Being not quite completely formed as a person but doing your damnedest to stand out while not standing out too much. For me, this painting is a girl waiting to be noticed, standing in a field on a Saturday morning watching the boys play football, while her new heels sink futher and further into the mud. 

Top Bunk! runs from 12th Oct to 13th Nov at the Cornerhouse Cafe-Bar featuring limited edition affordable prints and will coincide with this years Sketch-O-Matic...more details to follow!

Cornerhouse: 70 Oxford Street Manchester M1 5NH

The Marilyn Mystery

August 5th will be the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death. You may have noticed her presence more in the press lately; a blonde woman with big half closed eyes, a heart shaped face and cherry lips. Her image is instantly recognisable and has been a constant apparition in popular culture for the past 60 years or so. She is probably the greatest sex symbol and feminine icon in modern history and has come to represent the ultimate in tragedy, beauty, star power and glamour.

As a glut of new material claiming to add extra substance to the Marilyn myth is published and broadcast I can't help wondering just how horrified Marilyn would be to know that her every move has been examined down to the last detail. Everything from her dry cleaning receipts to her love affairs and personal diaries have been forensically studied and put out for mass public consumption.

Long lost lovers, friends and family have all queued up to sell their own version of the Marilyn experience, and I'm sure the list will never cease because the demand is always there, we all want to know what she was really like. As she once said about the frenzy of press and fans that followed her during her life, "... everybody is always tugging at you. They'd all like sort of a chunk of you. They kind of ... take pieces out of you.... but you do want to stay intact -- intact and on two feet."

Marilyn lived her life in the glare of the spotlight and it has to be said gloried in it; she shone and turned herself into whatever people wanted her to be; a malable female figure, the template for every woman in the public eye since; to just be herself wasn't enough, she had to fit the ideal. In modern day it's safe to say many women feel the same pressure to conform. 

Even half a century after she died we are still the owners of her image, we loot it, study it, borrow it, pull it apart and stick it back together to fit our needs. Marilyn Monroe is, I think, the modern western world's most iconic female. She has become more than the sum of her parts because we invest so much into her legend.

I worry though that we will never cease to keep wanting more from her. Her privacy has been invaded with reckless abandon, her life has become a series of moments to be consumed. But here's where I feel the real enchantment kicks in. Because no matter what we think we know, or how much we find out in the future, Monroe the woman is a total enigma.

During her life she was multi-dimensional, she craved attention and longed for retreat. She played up her character of the dumb blonde but wanted to be taken seriously. She was completely self absorbed yet she was a great friend, generous and giving to the last. Her life was a constant battle to balance out all her complex contradictions.

In death we are no closer to finding out who Marilyn Monore really was. We'll never be able to fully understand her, she is a like all the greatest goddesses that came before, unattainable. We believe in her but her existence is nothing but a mystery.