Exhibition – Women Fashion Power (Design Museum London)

Women Fashion Power offers an unprecedented look at how princesses, models, CEOs, Dames and designers have used fashion to define and enhance their position in the world.

Power and Fashion

Over the course of history, dress has been the most powerful signal of wealth and status. It has been used to suggest authority, moral values and, of course, gender.

For some women, adopting a masculine silhouette has symbolized power. Others have chosen to emphasize their sexuality to demonstrate their confidence. At times androgyny has been a sign of autonomy, at other moments, simple utility. 

Picture 1: Elisabeth I (daughter of Henry VIII)

“ I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a King of England too”.

Picture 2: Marie Antoinette (Queen consort to Louis XVI of France).

Her extravagant lifestyle, uncompromising attitude to reform and sympathy for Austria were contributing factors to his overthrow in the French Revolution.

Picture 3: Margaret Thatcher

“ I really only dress in two kinds of ways. One, the way I am dressed now, in a classic suit and blouse. It’s terribly important to have good blouses. And then also if you are traveling overseas and arrive by aircraft, I do find that it is much easier to arrive with a coat and dress outfit for the very simple reason… you can hang up your coat, and then you can put it in on just before you get off and you are not full of creases”.

Fashion – Chronology

Greta Garbo (Actress)

The bikini

1946, Louis Réard launched the prototype bikini. The new bikini swimming costume, in a newsprint-patterned fabric, caused a sensation at a beauty contest at the Molitor swimming pool in Paris. Réard was unable to find a “respectable” model for his costume and the job of displaying it went to a 19 year old, Miccheline Bernardini, a nude dancer from the Casino de Paris. She is holding a small bow into which the entire costume can be packed. Réard’s design come a few months after a similar two-piece design was produced by French designer, Jacques Heim.

Yves Saint Laurent

In 1966 YSL introduced a sleek tailored trouser suit called Le Smoking. The formal structure of the male tuxedo contrasted with feminine blouses created a sexy, androgynous look. Although radical at the time of its introduction, it would be the garment that sealed the acceptability of trousers as an alternative to the skirt, suit or dress. This was a formal, elegant suit for women. It was a great success and became a staple in many women’s wardrobes during the 1970s.

Dian Von Furstenberg

First showroom on Seventh Avenue (New York)

Louboutin 

E-commerce and affordable luxury

From the 1990s onwards, the Internet facilitated lightning speed access to information. Alexander McQueen and Christopher Bailey both put their catwalk collection on the net.

E-Commerce sites such as Net-a-Porter transformed shopping patterns. They made looking good easier for many workingwomen with busy schedules.

As luxury fashion brands gained increasing visibility in the Internet age, high street retailers and mail-order companies recognised that it made good business sense to commission leading talents to individualise and promote their products. Retailer H&M launched its collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004. It continues to offer capsule collections by high profile designers and celebrities, bringing their designs including Jil Sander and Comme des Garçons to a fashion-conscious consumer at a fraction of the cost of their mainline collections.