Article By: Carly Owens

On 65 Sydney Street lies one of the only couture ateliers in London. This atelier happens to belong to couturier Catherine Walker, a name quite familiar amongst most English aristocrats and even Royalty; Kate Middleton and Princess Diana of Wales being some of their most notorious clients.

As we approached a small building with a cream awning bearing the infamous Catherine Walker butterfly logo, we were greeted by a cloud of purple chiffon. The woman that welcomed us was a salon worker, dressed elegantly and flaunting a string of pearls she perfectly fit the Catherine Walker aesthetic. She then guided us around the corner of the salon to another building where the atelier was located. The group was led to a small room at the top of a few narrow flights of stairs. We were surrounded by iconic images of Princess Diana, the ultimate Catherine Walker muse, mood boards with fabric swatches, a library of coffee table books of other designers (including Christian Dior and Madeleine Vionnet), an extensive archive of fashion magazines and two elegant Catherine Walker gowns, both of which were formerly worn by Princess Diana. A posh man soon thereafter greeted us. He was Catherine Walker’s husband, Said Cyrus.

Mr. Cyrus began by providing us with a brief overview of the atelier. The Catherine Walker brand had its inception in 1977 and was created to only make individual commissions. Therefore, every garment produced by the Catherine Walker studio is tailored to fit a specific client. The employees of the atelier are even experts in the field of men’s tailoring. He stated that Catherine Walker is a “slow fashion” brand of grace, luxury and elegance.

“Design is art with a practical function”, says Mr. Cyrus. The fashions created at Catherine Walker, although incredibly detailed and constructed to absolute perfection, serve the purpose of “warmth and modesty”, according to Cyrus. Aside from the so called “practical” purpose of Catherine Walker garments, there is also a great deal of symbolism involved with the design of each garment, especially when it came to the fashions worn by Princess Diana. The English aesthetic was described by Cyrus as gentle and discreet while also being reminiscent of the pastel colors of the English countryside. The garments designed for Princess Diana typically reflected British culture while also paying respect to the cultures and traditions of the other countries she visited.

Mr. Cyrus proceeded to guide the group through the entirety of the atelier. Room after room, workspace after workspace we were shown the ins and outs of this amazing couture house. The studio spaces, although relatively small, were quite beautiful in the eyes of a fibers nerd such as myself. Bolts of fine fabrics lined the rooms, sewing machines proved major eye candy, and being able to see works in progress by the atelier was an immense treat.

All in all, the Catherine Walker studio tour was an experience that words cannot define. Having the opportunity to interact with such beautifully constructed and embellished garments as well as the house in which they were created was truly an inspiration.

Below is the video blog post about our Afternoon Tea Tour Bus by Angela Perez

Review of Kensington Palace by Rachel Coates

When I first began to head towards the Kensington Palace, I can admit I did not know what to expect. From my youth, the idea of a palace was something of grandeur, and I can say that the Kensington Palace did not disappoint, but it did help redefine how I viewed royalty, and gave me a new understanding of the thought behind the designs in not only what royalty may wear, but as well as tapestries that may decorate the walls or even the details within the build of the palace itself.

The beginning of my look into an important part of history began with looking into the Queen’s State apartments. The apartments were gorgeous on their own, small details such as the monograms of the rulers Queen Mary and King William entwined within the wood trim added to the subtle beauty hidden in the halls. Here I had the chance to look back into the past and learn of some of the British Royalty that once roamed the halls, and begin to understand the evolution of the position of royalty, and their reasoning behind different design choices.

The exhibition I was able to view was entitled “Fashion Rules,” which allowed visitors an up close look on various dresses and designs wore and made for the Queen and Princess Diana. Here various works were displayed, such as the “Flowers of the Fields of France” gown designed by Catherine Walker, along with the concepts and meanings behind each work. Through this exhibition, I learned how each gown was created for each particular situation, so they not only gave a glimpse of the wearer’s personality, but had odes to the various countries and events they were worn too.

The last main exhibition Was “Victoria Revealed,”which gave insight into the life of Queen Victoria. The main spectacle of the exhibition that stood out to me was the coronation gown Queen Victoria wore. The gown had gold woven into it, and represented the power thrust upon the young Queen. I am still in awe of getting to see such a piece, and I doubt I will ever get to see another treasure like it.

Overall, my trip to the Kensington Palace taught me more about a culture I am still just learning about, and also gave me insight to the concepts behind different designs made for royalty. This was only the beginning of my experiences in London, but I can not see where my future travels will lead me.

Exhibition Review of “Painting with Light” at Tate Britain by Giovanna Veltre

On the twenty-eighth of June, we visited the Tate Britain founded by Henry Tate. Tate had quite the art collection and wanted to leave it to the public. He was eventually given the land where the Tate is located now. To this day, the Tate holds the largest collection of British art and remains free to the public.

During our Tate visit, we had the opportunity to view the Painting with Light exhibition. It showcased art in regards to the relationship between photography and painting across the Victorian and Edwardian ages. After the emergence of photography, painters were able to photograph their subjects allowing for change to the perspective of their paintings. David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson photographed several landscapes and turned them into paintings. In Hill’s paintings, his photographic views, or perspectival references, were apparent. As tourism became more popular, guidebooks and souvenirs began to be illustrated by photography. Painters then began using them as references for paintings. Thomas Ogle used A.W. Bennett’s photo of The Bowder Stone c.1864 to create his painting of the same boulder.

Photo then began to play a major role in reproduction. Artist’s like Thomas Seddon used photography to create prints of his work. Photography became so popular as a tool for painters and even classical sculptures, photography studios and photographic archives began appearing in art schools. The Camera Club on Charing Rd allowed artists to rent out studios to photograph their subjects.

As the shoe progressed into the Tableaux period, the staging of models became very distinctive part of literary paintings and photography. As books and plays became more popular, artists would recreate literary scenes in their

  Photo of The Bowder Stone, A.W. Bennett.

Paintings or photographs. This created a thriving trade in prints, illustrated books, and journals.

We then saw the emergence of the muse. Models played an important role after the pre-Raphaelite period. Paintings became sensual and used models with striking looks. These qualities are seen in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s “Mariana”c.1870. (Shown Below)

In the 1880’s, landscapes became popular again. James Abbot McNeill Whistler was a well-known landscape painter and photographer of the time. Especially for his series called Nocturne. (Shown Below)

Nearing the end of the exhibition and the second half of the nineteenth century, Japanese culture became and influence and inspiration for British artists. Edward Atkinson Hornel, a Scottish painter, travelled to Japan and adopted a decorative style inspired by Japan. Instead of using the graceful contours of Japanese art, his paintings were translated into flat, colorist tapestry using heavy brush strokes.

Two Geishas, c. 1894, Hornel.

Late into the nineteenth century, painters were influenced by Italian Renaissance artists, like Michelangelo and da Vinci, and began to pursue and idealized beauty. The show closed with Rosseti’s, “Prosperine” modeled by Jane Morris.

Overall, I enjoyed the exhibition to the fullest. It was very informative and it helped me better understand the influences and relationship between photography and classical painting. It also helped me understand the influence British artists had on the entirety of the period; however, the Tate did display a bias view being it is a museum exclusively of British artists.

Basic Details:

Dates: 27 June- 31 July 2015  (5 week program)

Location: London-area, UK

Course Credits: 6 total (two 3 credit courses)

APPLY HERE!

United Kingdom Stitching a Cultural Identity Brochure

Program Introduction:

Embroidery has served as an important aspect of British history since the early Roman times. Secluded from the rest of mainland Europe, it saw embroidery flourish to new technical and artistic heights in the early Middle Ages producing some of the most prized pieces of ecclesiastical embroidery of the time known today as Opus Anglicanum. Through the years as the United Kingdom established itself as a global power, British embroidery reflected the different global influences. In modern history, it was British women that revitalized embroidery as an artistic medium. Embroiderers such as Alice Kettle and Audrey Walker have been exhibited next to contemporary painters and sculptors in recent exhibitions.

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is an internationally respected authority on traditional hand embroidery. It strives to preserve the heritage of precise and artistic stitching through teaching embroidery technique and through the many varied projects it undertakes in their working studio. Housed at Hampton Court Palace just south of London, the RSN offers day, certificate, and undergraduate courses teaching the art and cultural significance of hand embroidery. Their working studio on the ground floor of Hampton Court Palace restores and creates pieces for numerous Cathedrals, fashion houses, stately homes, and the royal family. They were responsible for the embroidery on the coronation robes of HM Elizabeth II and the late Queen Mother. In recent years, they gained much acclaim for their extensive embroidery on the wedding dress, veil and shoes of HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.