On Friday 19th July, the V&A museum held a special catwalk event, dedicated to the iconic designer Jenny Packham and her designs over the past 25 years. It was a monumental contribution to my understanding of the fashion world that I hope to formally enter in a couple of years.
The ambiance was very dramatic, almost intimidating with the 2D, tall, striking models clad in such stunning and valuable gowns. The designs were so intricate and it was my first glimpse of Haute Couture in real life, so a pretty big deal. The designer had picked her favourite pieces over the last 25 years, of which there were about 45, for the show.
The event was free, and being a volunteer I was mainly in charge of organising the audience and giving away the tickets that had not been collected to passers-by in the museum. I quite enjoyed it. Some people had clearly not been able to get tickets before (as all 4 shows had sold out) so were overjoyed at actually getting tickets, especially when I had ones for the front row. Seeing their faces light up brought warmth to my heart. There were others who refused the tickets, which personally I don't understand. Who wouldn't attend a fashion show led by such a renowned designer and featuring such beautiful garments? Cray.
Met some fantastic people and although I didn't get to speak to Packham herself, I participated in an interview regarding the show, which is due to be put up on the V&A channel online. I've uploaded a video of the finale on youtube, which I have also embedded here. And some pictures of course, but the lighting was sooo bright.
As volunteers we had to wear these hats, designed for V&A fashion volunteers by notable milliner Stephen Jones. Got some mixed reactions there.
Click here for the full show.
