Magazine

Style: a little bit of history

Conrad Astley
7/ 4/2006

NEXT time you see a woman wearing a little black dress to a party, remember you're looking at nearly a century of history. That's the claim of Pollyanna Clayton-Stamm, curator of the Little Black Dress exhibition starting at Urbis this weekend.

The event, in which modern designers create their own modern version of the style staple, was brought to Manchester after successful runs in Hollywood and New York.

It is due to return to the Big Apple later in the year before visiting Bangkok, but was attracted to Manchester after the city beat competition from London and Edinburgh.

Pollyanna says holding the high-profile event in Manchester is a big coup for the city, but also confirms Manchester's proud textile heritage, as well as its current position as an important fashion centre.

"Manchester was known as Cottonopolis," she said. "It was where much of the fabric in the world came from, and a lot of the material these dresses were made from was likely to have come from Manchester.

"That gives the whole exhibition a historical context, and so it's a celebration of the city's textile heritage, but there's also so much fashion talent coming out of Manchester as we speak. It's still a thriving fashion capital."

The event, which was launched with a star-studded gala last week, features dresses made by designers such as Ben De Lisi, Agent Provocateur and Manchester's own Gorgeous Couture.

These will be displayed in the exhibition before being auctioned off to raise thousands for Christie's cancer hospital.

But Pollyanna said the main part of the exhibition will be a history of how the little black dress has evolved throughout nearly 100 years, as well as looking at how social and political events influenced these changes.

The exhibition follows a timeline from Coco Chanel's "Ford" dress made in 1926.

The dress, believed to be the first of its kind, was called this because it was bought by consumers on almost the same scale as they snapped up Henry Ford's products - and because, like the car, it famously came in just one colour - black.

There are even a few examples of earlier Edwardian dresses, allowing visitors to compare the simplicity of this design with the flowery details which preceded it.

The exhibition then shows how the style evolved throughout the era of silent movies, when screen heroines helped popularise the dress, and into the era of the "talkies."

It then takes visitors into the Second World War - when fabric was rationed and women were encouraged to repair old dresses - before demonstrating how designers like Mary Quant radicalised the design again in the 60s.

The exhibition then shows how new variations continued to be introduced with various movement - punk in the 70s, power dressing in the 80s, grunge in the 90s - through to the current minimalist style.

The exhibition is also brought to life by photographs of the stars who wore the dresses, such as Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn - who Pollyanna described as "the queen of the little black dress" - and Marilyn Monroe.

There are images of more modern style icons such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Gwen Stefani, as well as Liz Hurley wearing the famous Versace gown held together with safety pins - referred to as "that dress" by the British press - and the late Princess Diana.

There are other examples of how the garment has made its mark on popular culture, with screens showing Betty Boop cartoons from the 30s, Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love video from the 80s, and even a selection of Barbie dolls.

However, Pollyanna stressed there was a serious side to the exhibition. "We're trying to chart the history of the little black dress, but there's a section that looks at its psychology," she said. "It conjures up many different emotions.

"It was originally a symbol of mourning. When women wore black before the 20s, it meant they'd been sexually active but weren't available any more because their husbands had died. Department stores had whole sections for women who were in mourning.

"But now it symbolises women who are independent and confident. Sports psychologists say wearing black shows power and puts fear into your opponents.

"This isn't just something for women of a certain age. It's an interesting social and cultural history of the last century."

The Little Black Dress exhibition starts tomorrow (Saturday) and runs until May 21. Admission is £3.

A PROGRAMME of events has also been organised to run alongside the exhibition:

In Conversation with Vicky Martin and Dave Mallon

Manchester's Vicky Martin, who owns boutiques around the country and designs for celebrity clients, will join Ringspun's Dave Mallon, to talk about how they set up independent fashion labels in the north west.

Urbis, April 25, 6.50-8pm. £10/£7 concessions.

A Gorgeous Evening

Gorgeous Couture's Warren Bardsley will be talking about the designs worn by Victoria Beckham, left, and Girls Aloud.

Urbis, May 3, 6.30-8pm. £10/£7 concessions.

Shopping and Textile Heritage Trail

The tour, given by Blue Badge guide Jonathan Schofield and fashion journalist Jessica Lowe, will look at what gives Manchester its new shopping status, as well as delving into the city's textile history.

Meet at Urbis, May 13 and 20, 2pm. £10/£7 concessions.


Exhibition Finale

Set to be a lavish night of champagne cocktails. Fashion expert Jess Wood, a regular on TV shows such as Ten Years Younger, will help judge the best dressed on the night.

Urbis, May 19, 6.30pm, £15.


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