Trip to London

Took a trip to the Barbican with my daughter to see the exhibition, Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion. To be honest it's not something I would have thought about visiting but we went on the recommendation of her Textiles teacher,
Many of the designs were clearly never going to be worn by anyone outside a fashion exhibition, but the influence of some of the designs on high street fashion was obvious. These were however primarily works of art, sculptural forms which were beautiful in their own right. A specific branch of art which happens to require a human body as support.

I particularly liked the work of Yohji Yamamoto. His designs enhanced the form of the manikins, elegant sophisticated shapes, many of which could be worn for real.

I also liked Issey Miyake whose origami derived designs were more youthful and casual.
Drawing the figures was essential to fully appreciate the works. I needed to take the time in front of individual pieces and explore the way the shapes were formed and how they interacted with each other.