Weds June 9th: Fashionably Curious

You may recognise this studded policeman's helmet from yesterday's Lady Gaga video premiere............as worn by "Evandro" ...........and made by Belgian design duo "Mouton Collet". The helmet has been on display as part of the "Fashionably Curious" exhibition curated by St.Martins students as a site specific show at 18 Stafford Terrace - the previous home of Punch cartoonist Edward linley Sambourne. The group have brought together a comprehensive collection of designer pieces to integrate into this museum as a running commentary to compliment each themed room of the house. They have selected and sourced specific pieces to formulate a story that relates to the life of the inhabitants and installed them in nooks and crannies of the permanent interior set up.............for example, pages of ACNE paper have been framed and hung up the stairway within Sambourne's artwork..........the tear sheets are editorial portraits of CSM design alumni shot by Lord Snowdon who was the great-grandson of Linley Sambourne! The girls have done their research! Everything links up and mixes in to the history of the house within their own fairytale and fantasy concept for "Fashionably Curious".
The "Mouton Collet" helmet rests next to my Heliocentric Electric hat and opposite a Stephen Jones Union Jack Top Hat on desks in The Drawing Room as part of a Mad Hatters Tea Party display after Lewis Carroll. I love the way that seasons have been mixed up and archive pieces revisited............such as this incredible Andrew Groves "Ordinary Madness" spiked nail outfit from 1997............Hussein Chalayan "Airmail Dress" from 1999.............and Shelley Fox "Pillowcase Jacket" from 2003........
I am so impressed with the attention to detail implemented in this exhibition and extraordinary thought gone into the planning of the whole project. Its the last few days so try and get over to Kensington before the 13th to see dresses by McQueen, Westwood, Jonathan Saunders, Marios Schwab, Giles Deacon, Peter Jensen, Mary Katrantzou....................

For more details, check thier blog here

Thanks to Emily Beard for taking these photos for me.