The weather this weekend isn’t looking too hot, Daydreamers, so prepare yourself for two days of indoor activities. Make of this what you will, but I would suggest a good few hot chocolates and a trip to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, where an exciting new exhibition opens tomorrow.
Beauty by Design: Fashioning the Renaissance is a collaboration between fashion designers, artists, curators and art historians, which has been put together to investigate the challenge the modern day ideal beauty. All the pieces in the exhibition are new works by UK designers and stylists, who have been inspired by Renaissance paintings currently in the National Galleries’ collections. The exhibition includes the work of designers Claire Ferguson, a freelance knitwear designer who has worked with Calvin Klein and Pringle, and Sally-Ann Proven, an Edinburgh based milliner who has worked with the Scottish Opera, the Scottish Ballet and the BBC.
Fashion designer and Programme Director of Fashion at Edinburgh College of Art, Mal Burkinshaw has also contributed to the exhibition; his series of seven lace jackets (one of which is pictured above) are a response to the body shapes and garments that can be seen in portraits such as those of Mary, Queen of Scots. It really is fascinating stuff and will be a great way to shelter from the miserable Scottish weather this weekend.
If you do visit, make sure you share your experience on social media by using #NGSBeautyBy
Mal Burkinshaw
Tailored Jacket using Sophie Hallette Lace. FromSilhouettes en Dentelle – Series 1 (Lace Silhouettes – Series 1), 2013-14
Photography by Stuart Munro
