Land Design captures couture allure for V&A show

The Victoria & Albert Museum’s autumn exhibition, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 opens this week, created by Land Design Studio.

The exhibition examines one of the most influential decades in haute couture, from its renaissance after World War II to its legacy on fashion today.

The work of designers including Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies will be shown alongside accessories, textiles, photography and other archival material.

The museum awarded Land Design Studio the project a year ago following a five-way paid creative pitch against undisclosed groups.

Land Design Studio creative director Peter Higgins explains that there was already a strong narrative for the show. ‘Our challenge was to turn this into a spatial concept,’ he says.

Curator Claire Wilcox says she wanted visitors to feel that they have arrived in the city of fashion as they walk through the doors.

The consultancy has created a cityscape of Paris and London, while the use of monochromatic images and controlled media is intended to reflect a sense of post-war austerity.

‘There’s a great sense of period about this bit of the exhibition,’ says Higgins.

Another section, Daywear, using open display, enabling the viewer to walk around garments to inspect sculptural qualities and crafted detail.

One of the key highlights is an abstract installation that has been created to showcase a series of opulent ballgowns.

‘The way it’s presented makes it look like the dresses are actually moving through the space,’ says Higgins.