This experimental exhibition captures the allure of fashion shows – plus find out where to stay and dine in Dundee and nearby …
Who doesn’t love a fashion show? From the invite to the staging, not forgetting the designs and models, it’s the sum of many parts – an immersive and often iconic experience, a chance to be bewitched by a designer’s vision.
“When I do a fashion show, it’s not done until it exits out the door,” says Jonathan Anderson. Fashion writer and frow stalwart Suzy Menkes recalls her first show: “It was Nina Ricci haute couture in Paris. I was captivated by the glamour of the gilded salon, elegant clothes and audience of grand ladies.”
“Catwalk – The Art of the Fashion Show” at the V&A Museum Dundee traces 125 years of fashion history from the early, rather elitist shows in Parisian salons to today’s global spectacles. Among the 350 exhibits are vintage invites from Jeanne Lanvin, fascinating photographs of Paul Poiret’s guests from the early 20th century when fashion shows were often held at horse races and on ocean liners, which inspired today’s cruise collections. Film footage of early Chanel fashion shows models descending the famous mirrored spiral staircase in Coco Chanel’s Paris townhouse.
More contemporary footage is juxtaposed with film and photography from shows by Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Issey Miyake, Maison Martin Margiela, Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne. These include the stage props and accessories from Chanel‘s ‘Supermarket’ and ‘Rocket’ fashion shows, conceived by Karl Lagerfeld and staged at Paris’ Grand Palais.
One of the defining shows of the ’90s, cementing the relationship between fashion and pop culture, was the Versace SS91 when supermodels Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington sang George Michael’s hit Freedom together.
Backstage photography by Robert Fairer captures candid moments where the magic happens – often in hair and make-up! Kits used by make-up artist Val Garland and hairstylist Sam McKnight are displayed, with wigs and hairpieces McKnight created for Vivienne Westwood and for the Chanel Métiers d’Art 2012/13 show at Linlithgow Palace.
Alongside the froth and frocks – central to the exhibition is a raised catwalk with runway looks by Martin Margiela, Victor & Rolf, John Galliano and Raf Simons – it also shows how media and technology impacted and influence fashion’s evolution. More importantly, images record how designers push boundaries by merging fashion, art, performance and societal issues. Examples include Alexander McQueen’s legendary show No 13 (SS99) when two industrial robots spray-painted a dress worn by a model live on stage. And remember Viktor & Rolf who reflected on growing consumerism in fashion by dressing a model in nine layers in their Russian Doll fashion show (AW99)?
Co-curated by fashion historian Kirsty Hassard, she explains, “Among the many wonderful objects on display, we are thrilled to have worked with the Balenciaga archive to bring the legendary 1945 Théâtre de la Mode fashion dolls to the UK for the first time, celebrating an important moment in fashion history.” This initiative brought together 40 Parisian designers to create a fashion-show-in-miniature at the Louvre Museum. Standing at 70cm tall and dressed in Balenciaga couture, the dolls played a vital role in reviving the French fashion industry after the Second World War.
Also exclusive to the V&A Dundee are runway looks by Scottish designers Pam Hogg, Christopher Kane, Charles Jeffrey and Nicholas Daley. Scotland, of course, was much loved by Christian Dior. This ongoing connection is highlighted with photographs of Mr Dior’s first fashion shows in Glasgow and Gleneagles in 1955, and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Mary Queen of Scots-inspired Cruise Show in 2024 held at Drummond Castle, Perthshire.
Alongside the exhibition, there’s a “Catwalk in a Box” where visitors are encouraged to design their own fashion show, or try out beauty styles in an interactive ‘Magic Mirror’ custom-made by Holition. A tempting catwalk-themed afternoon tea is served in the museum’s Tatha Bar & Kitchen with spectacular views over the waterfront.
If you haven’t been to Dundee, it’s little over an hour away from Edinburgh. The V&A Museum’s waterfront location and cutting-edge architecture alone are worth a trip. I visited it for the Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk exhibition and recommend the city as a day trip. I’ll definitely be back to see this!
Need to know: Catwalk – The Art of the Fashion Show, co-produced by Vitra Design Museum, is at V&A Dundee until January 17.
Where To Stay And Dine
Prestonfield House, Edinburgh
I would return to this pretty country house on the outskirts of the city for the chance to dine in its Rhubarb restaurant alone, where tables overlook Arthur’s Seat. Entering the building is akin to walking on the catwalk; the hotel doesn’t disappoint with its often dramatic and decadent décor. @prestonfieldhouseedinburgh
Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh
The sartorial Little Glen to insiders is a former Bank of Scotland. Maria Grazia Chiuri and her team took over all 33 bedrooms during her Cruise Show at Drummond Castle. No doubt Maria Grazia enjoyed the hotel’s impressive art collection celebrating female artists who challenged the building’s past as a male-dominated space. I had lunch in The Spence restaurant – an airy, social space for all day dining and later watched the sunset from Lamplighters, a swish rooftop bar with views across the city’s medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town. @gleneaglestownhouse
Fingal, Edinburgh
For something a little different, this five-star floating hotel is moored in the buzzy Leith district with an array of cabins, duplex rooms and larger suites. It has all the benefits of a private yacht – style, seclusion, service – in addition to a popular Lighthouse Bar and private dining room, The Bridge. It’s the ideal base and complement for a visit on board the former Royal Yacht Britannia. Dine at Barry Fish, a relatively new seafood restaurant included in this year’s Michelin Guide. Its Big Snacks sharing plates are particularly recommended at lunchtime. @fingaledinburgh
Seaton House, St Andrews
I recommend venturing on to St Andrews as the coastal train journey is particularly pretty. As a former student, I can attest that Fife enjoys a much more clement climate than the rest of Scotland. My tip: book Seaton House, one of the latest openings (and a sister property of Co Antrim’s Dunluce Lodge) located along the Scores, beside the 18th green of the iconic Old Course at St Andrews, and five minutes from the West Sands (where Chariots of Fire was filmed), considered one of the best beaches in the world. If driving, The Peat Inn in Cupar just outside St Andrews combines stylish split-level rooms with a destination restaurant. I’ve never not had a fabulous experience there. @seaton_house @thepeatinn
