Showing posts with label V&A. Show all posts
Showing posts with label V&A. Show all posts
V&A Faberge in London: Romance to Revolution banner image

Peter Carl Fabergé is renowned for his collection of Imperial Easter Eggs. A collection of 50 stunning eggs made with incredible craftsmanship that can fetch an eye wateringly obscene amount when sold. But there’s more to the goldsmith than his collection of egg-shaped gifts made for Russian royalty. 

The Victoria and Albert museum (V&A) are currently running Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution, an exhibition exploring the man behind the internally recognised brand symbolising luxury, elegance and fine Russian craftsmanship. It focuses mainly on the relationship the brand had with London, when it opened (I believe) the only store outside of Russia in 1903.


I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of Fabergé, far from it, but I have been intrigued as to why a simple statue could fetch a cool £3 million at an auction. If you’re looking for an artistic review of Fabergé, this is probably the wrong place but I will give you my honest review of the exhibition and my thoughts around the firm.


Inside the exhibition

V&A Faberge in London: Romance to Revolution banner image


The exhibition itself was very interesting. It told the story and history of the man himself and the about the brand. It explained the relationship it had with London and it’s very royal customer base. You weren’t allowed to take any photographs in the exhibit but that makes sense with how valuable the items were. 

And there were A LOT of them! It gave you a good feel of the firm and the type of pieces they created.
Items made by Fabergé combined fiercely expensive jewels and stones with less expensive materials such as enamel (a technique fusing metal and glass). 

Fabergé was a brand clearly designed and catering for the wealthiest who could afford the simplest of items but had plenty of money to afford an extravagant version. A lot of his clientele were royalty in some form- you’d have to be to afford the price in that era. A crystal Coronation vase was purchased for £430 which is worth about £4.8 million today. Similarly, a collection of silver bowls indented with a design cost the owner £250 but it now worth about £3.8 million today. 


With that said that, the exhibition displayed an equal amounts of purely decorative extravagance alongside utilitarian items including a boot lace hook that had been used so many times, the firm had to re-enamel the handle. There were many cigarette cases that looked somewhat ‘average’ but was made from enamel and had a thin stream of delicate tiny demands flowing through.

Fabergé also made a lot of animal figurines for the royal family. The placard explained some of them had been made purely for its artistic value than anything else. While I’m not entirely sure I can appreciate the value of a French bulldog made from Bowenite with diamond eyes, the level of detail was impeccable. You could pick out every hair and wrinkle on the dog, something that is not easy to do when you're carving stone. My favourite figurine on display was a snail. It was smaller than my fingernail but my oh my was the level of detail outstanding.

I made reference to the Imperial Easter eggs at the beginning and it wouldn’t be a good exhibition if they didn’t exhibit any. Right at the end, you can see some of the eggs from the most popular and memorable Fabergé collection up close. These can fetch a staggering amount at an auction  one estimated to be worth $33 million — but the story behind the one-of-a-kind collection is a sweet romantic tale.

In 1885, Russian Emperor Alexander III asked Fabergé to make an Imperial Easter egg for his wife Empress Maria Feodorvna. A unique egg was then gifted every year marking an occasion in the family. Their son Nicolas II carried on the tradition following his father’s death. 


I don’t think a picture could ever do the Egg justice. It’s something you have to see in person to fully understand what makes them so precious and more than a one of a kind item. To see the individual brick markings on the Moscow Kremlin Egg or the fragility of the hundreds of minuscule diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires on the Mosaic Egg could not be captured in a photograph.


Final Thoughts


The exhibition was fascinating. It was very informative but on a subject I think you’d need to have known a little about and have an interest in. I made use of my V&A Under 26 membership so it was free for me. At £20 a ticket, I feel you’re going to a bit bored if you’re not intrigued by who Fabergé was or if you don’t have an interest in jewelled items.

Love, Aoife xo

It’s been four years since the sold-out Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition. This year the V&A, named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, has curated another majestic exhibition about the talented Christian Dior: Designer of dreams. And it is just as magical as you would think.

The day had been a long one coming. I had been waiting since February last year when I found out there would be a Christian Dior exhibition. I was so prepared for it that I purchased a student museum membership just to guarantee access to what was likely to be a sold-out exhibition. It was only £30 and I get access to all the exhibitions for free and I can go as many times as I please. Bargain! When the day finally came, I realised it was International Women’s day. A coincidence as the exhibition is about a man who celebrated the female body; “Dedicated to the beauty of the female body.” 



What I love most about exhibitions like these, based on couture, is that you can gain a real insight into the brand and an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into all the pieces. All the time people think of fashion as what’s on the rails in their local high street store but fashion is also the limited couture pieces. They've been made to fit and created individually by a whole team of seamstresses. That’s true art.

The first room of the exhibition is filled with pictures of a young Christian Dior that tell the story of how he came to be one of the worlds most famous designers. As you moved through, each room capsulated a part of the Fashion house. From the OG silhouettes and pieces such as the famous dress worn by Princess Anne for her birthday. To special rooms dedicated to the designs inspired by the 18th century, flowers and ball gowns. 


The most beautiful room was The Garden Room. On the ceiling was the most intricate piece of art I had ever seen, thousands if not millions of paper garlands had been shaped to look like flowers. I later found out it was by Wanda Barcelona called Les Invasions paper garden. On a platform which went around the room stood dresses inspired by Dior’s love of flowers; “After women, flowers are the most divine of creations.” 

There was a mix of dresses through the ages and it was cool to see how each designer had used flowers as inspiration to create something unique. One of my favourite dresses was covered in individually painted feathers. From a distance, it looked like dried flowers you might find in a meadow, but on closer inspection were thousands of painted small feathers. It was probably my favourite dress because you could see the beauty up close, the cleverness of the design, and incredible craftsmanship.



Since Christian Dior’s sudden passing in 1957, there have been 8 creative directors since. Including Yves Saint Laurent who later went on to design for his own label, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri to name a few. As you walk through one of the large rooms you can see some of the designs that each creative director has done and contributed to the fashion label. 

The last room of the exhibition was black. As you walked through it, on the left-hand side was a platform surrounded by floor to ceiling mirrors. In the centre of that platform, with a white backlight, was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. Layers and layers of pleated delicate tulle flowed to the ground. The mirrors around the platform allowed you to see the stunning ruffled train which defied gravity at the top as it trailed down the back. The dress was designed by the first and current female creative director Marie Grazia Chiuri and had been presented in Shanghai at the Spring/Summer 2018 haute couture collection. She had been inspired by a 1950’s promotional fan for the house of Dior and the skirt is embroidered with same Dior signature. All I can say is that I wish I could wear a dress like that. 


Just when I started to lose hope in the fashion world and at how disposable it has become, an exhibition like this has brought my belief back that there is more than just the throwaway culture. There is a whole legacy that has been left behind by the great fashion leaders and continues to be nurtured by designers. Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams is a stunning exhibition showcasing amazing the most amazing pieces. 100% recommended to anyone who is able to appreciate.

As expected the Christian Dior exhibition is sold out indefinitely, and due to the immense popularity, they’ve decided to extend the closing date till September. Yay! 

Love, Aoife xo



Jumper - H&M
Bra - Calvin Klein
Jeans - Stradivarius
Shoes - White Converse, Chuck Taylors


I have always struggled with being able to look good in a jumper. I had pretty much sworn off any kind of jumper until last February (2018). During a much-needed shopping trip, I found the perfect jumper. It wasn’t too big or frumpy and worked perfectly with my petite chest. Since then, I’ve managed to conquer the jumper picking up a few tips and tricks along the way.

In the words of Patricia Bright, who I absolutely adore, “If you don’t have cleavage, you always have clavicle”. And you can apply this theory -yes, that is what we’re calling it- to everything and anything. Especially jumpers. Jumpers most of the time rely on cleavage to stop you looking frumpy but if you don’t have that, use your clavicle! Everyone has one. Find jumpers that highlight your clavicle, also known as your collarbone, the bone that runs across from shoulder to shoulder. Go for ones with lower necklines, round or V-necks. I’m currently crushing on this v-neck jumper from H&M. It’s so warm and it shows off just the right amount of skin. 

On top of that, tuck the front of the jumper into a pair of high waisted jeans to give it a little edge and to break it up. It stops the jumper from looking baggy and helps it to fall in a flattering way.

Love, Aoife x