The 2 Vionnet dresses acquired by the Fashion
Museum
Vionnet at the Fashion Museum
Display starts 5 December 2009, and continuing
through 2010
Wednesday 10 February
Emergency work has unfortunately necessitated the closure of the
Dress of the Year and Vionnet displays for a few days. We hope to
re-open this area on Saturday 13 February and apologise for any
inconvenience caused. The Dress of the Year 2009 will be on display
elsewhere in the Museum during this time.
The Fashion Museum, working in partnership
with the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Bowes Museum, has saved
a collection of rare 1930s evening dresses by Madeleine Vionnet,
one of the greatest 20th century couturiers, for the
nation.
The two dresses acquired by the Fashion
Museum, both of which are exquisite examples of Vionnet’s skill in
manipulating fabric, will be on display in the Fashion Museum
galleries from 5 December 2009.
The dresses are being prepared for display
this autumn. In the meantime, fashion and textile students from the
School of Art and Design at Bath Spa University will have a once in
a lifetime opportunity to study the dresses up close in special
study sessions at the Fashion Museum’s Study Facilities. The
students will sketch the dresses and the best sketches will be
published on the Fashion Museum website in December 2009 when the
actual dresses go on display in the museum galleries for all to
see.
The dresses were acquired with the assistance
of The Art Fund, The V&A / MLA Purchase Grant Fund, Bath and
North East Somerset Council, the West of England Costume Society,
and many private individuals and supporters.
View a press release here.