Substance & Style: Vogue Celebrates 100 Years
I am the first to admit that high fashion can be intimidating. Especially if it involves a fashion publication as iconic as Vogue. Planning for an afternoon at ‘Vogue 100: A Century of Style’, I found myself contemplating what I should wear… I mean, what do you wear in preparation for a hundred years of style?? Super-sized onto the back wall of the exhibition, we were met with the pouts and teasing smiles of Vogue’s best dressed and newest faces - Cara Delevingne, Brooklyn Beckham and Kendal Jenner - and I was immediately apprehensive.
Vogue’s centenary celebration, hosted by the National Portrait Gallery, certainly features a predictable helping of fashion beauties and glamour to gorge on. But, it’s not fatuous or fickle and unlike fashion, the impact of this exhibition won’t fade. Boasting over 280 prints from the Condé Nast archive and international collections, the exhibition skilfully paints the story of one of the most pivotal magazines in the world.
The exhibition is organised into many small rooms, each housing the works of a particular decade. The layout is slightly confusing to begin with (awkwardly, I couldn't decide whether to turn left or right). But, after finding my bearings, I stepped into the first room - the 2010s. The idea being that you start in the present and move chronologically backwards. This works for a number of reasons. One, it allows you to engage more deeply with the works of each decade, by understanding their context. Two, the familiar faces of our modern culture are an easily accessible point to begin.
But, the cornerstone of this exhibition isn’t the stunning faces plastered on the walls (although there’s plenty to catch your attention) -instead the spotlight is firmly on the photographers. In every room, their names are featured alongside each of the decade’s most prominent works. Fashion photography giants, Tim Walker, Bruce Weber, Marino Testino, Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, Irving Penn and Corrine Day (to name just a few), all share precious wall space with the models they made famous.
Corrine Day’s shots of a fresh faced Kate Moss are particularly striking. Their natural simplicity is distinct amongst many of the other more theatrical works. Taken in 1993, in Kate’s own flat, they capture a teenage girl at the very beginning of her supermodel career. Cover girl for over three-hundred of the magazines issues, Kate, like no other has been perennial face of Vogue. But, these beautifully pared down shots convey what Day herself describes as the ‘cocky girl from Croydon’.
The value of an audio guide can sometimes be hit and miss, but for this exhibition it’s a must and 100% worth the extra £3. The few short audio clips per room each feature photographers, models, curators, stylists and editor in chief of British Vogue, Alexandra Schulman - all in dialogue with one another. They explain the process behind some of the works; the vision, the difficulties they faced and even the quirks of the personalities involved. Whilst your eyes focus on an image in front, your ears tune into a conversation between its creators. Immersed in this multi-layered experience, it’s as if you’re flicking through the pages of a three dimensional version of the magazine itself.
The audioguide material also provided some historical context to each of the rooms. Which is really useful in bringing politics, art, architecture, popular music and even economics, into the mix. The photography displayed, just like fashion, was born out of this stimuli. Some of the pieces even appear to capture an age in a single snapshot. Of course, fashion is a means through which we can express ourselves - but also, it’s a reflection of our aspirations, concerns and values. The photographs in this exhibition aren’t just a collection of pretty pictures once published in a magazine. they are windows into our past, illustrating how people once thought and lived.
Moving backward through the decades, Vogue’s rich history and role as a cultural commentator becomes even more apparent. Public figures from Princess Diana to Charlie Chaplin, grace the magazine’s pages. And, the works of Lee Miller, Vogue’s very own war correspondent, are displayed with some editorial pride. During war, Vogue was vital to home front morale. Here, Miller is portrayed fondly as a key part of Vogue’s history; her sensitive reports and remarkable photography are a highlight of the exhibition.
With such a big name as the focal point of this exhibition, I was half expecting some lazy execution and curation. The Vogue ‘brand’ easily sells itself and, flocks of fashionistas inevitably going to be drawn in. However, I needn’t have doubted the exhibitor's integrity or imagination. ‘Vogue 100: A Century of Style’ delivers just as much substance as photographic splendour. It presents a panoramic view of Vogue down the decades, together with a serious look at the inside workings of the magazine. An approach which turns out to be thorough, considered and full of personality. Leaving the National Portrait Gallery, my attention was no longer on what I was wearing - I was just itching to pick up a camera.
