London again – on my way to Scotland.

Having deposited the dog, packed for weather that we hadn’t had in the south of England for months and left the station 20 minutes late, I arrived in London to 35 degree heat. Again.

Off to the V&A to see the Schiaparelli exhibition. She made clothes from the 1920s until she retired in 1954. Recently, her name has been revived and some exquisite one off couture pieces made for specialists.

‘Lungs’ necklace. Made to go with a plain black dress with a very low neckline. The lungs cover the breasts.
Fabric made by Schiaparelli’s American manufacturer using her headlines in the French press.
Evening wear
Dress with cloth of gold headpiece for the wife of an Indian Raja
The white dress is a modern bridal creation. The green dress is also modern and very carefully put together. Deserves a look on magnification.
Modern version of a cape made in the 1930s.
Trés chic
Modern dress featuring the most extensive pleating.
Evening coat made to wear with a dress with a bustle from the 1930s.
Bridal veil. Net with dark blue beading. Must have been heavy.
Modern jacket showing a variety of methods of embroidery. Not made for Madonna.
Jacket. The black body of it has faded into the background.
Jacket in the wartime style. The front pockets were put on to avoid having to carry a handbag.
Modern characterful handbag.
Fabric created by Schiaparelli after a design by Dali. She had many surrealist friends and incorporated their designs into her clothes. Wallis Simpson had a dress of this fabric made for her trousseau.
1950s trompe l’oeil jacket with pink silk roses.
Modern jacket (and hat!) with the same silk roses.
Modern dress with ruby slipper attached, worn by Ariana Grande during publicity for Wicked.
Modern overalls with ‘child’ made of electrical waste and semiprecious metals.
Not sure how you get from A to B wearing this.
Or this
Lunch in the V&A refreshment rooms.

After the V&A I went to afternoon tea at The Wolseley with my friend Gill.

This was previously a 1930s car showroom on Piccadilly.
Gill with cake and champagne. I had special sandwiches because of Coronation Chicken.

After stuffing myself with cake (would only go to waste if not eaten) I toddled off to Euston to redeem my bags and get the sleeper to Inverness. More on that to follow

One thought on “London again – on my way to Scotland.”

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.