November, 27th, 2012

Glamorous morning meeting with the ravishing Judith Watt splendid as always in Anthony Price

Course Director, {MA Fashion Journalism}, fashion historian, curator, writer, print and TV journalist. Lecturer in the history of fashion, Fashion, Communication and Promotion at
Central Saint Martins College Of Art and Design, [University of The Arts London] since 1998 until now. “Central Saint Martin’s School of Fashion is such an important institution whose influence in fashion has been a vital part of British culture for the past 60 years. It has been a crucible of design and art talent, from Amanda Lear to filmmakers Derek Jarman and John Maybury to fashion designers Bill Gibb and Katharine Hamnett to Galliano, Stephen Jones, John Flett and Rifat Ozbek. While its more recent Alumni is topped by the late, great Lee McQueen, it has continued to irritate, agitate, cajol, push and propel creative vision from the newer voices of Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll and Christopher Kane. It is telling that that all came from a rundown building in Soho, where so many tutors worked for the love of it. There was no-where else like it in the world and a film that cherishes its past and looks to the future is long overdue.”

Judith is also a prolix never garrulous writer on what matters to fashion. She was one dear friend of RIP Alexander McQueen, authoring October’s 2012 Alexander McQueen: Master of the Fantastic, Judith Watt wrote also VOGUE ON Elsa Schiaparelli published also this Fall 2012 by Quadrille Publishing.

Judith Watt scopes the enduring legacy of La daring and visionary designer. Her first name, Elsa, meaning joyful and originally a diminutive of Elizabeth, was pronounced el-za, a modest zedding of the s in Elsa. She was especially fond of her nickname “Schiap” (pronounced skap) used by those closest to her. Elsa once said, “I merely know Schiap by hearsay. I have only seen her in a mirror. She is, for me, some kind of fifth dimension.”. Schiaparelli collaborated with artists such as Salvador Dali and Man Ray, pioneered the runway show, and designed costumes for film-stars from Mae West to Marlene Dietrich. Featuring Schiaparelli’s pioneering designs, from the first picture of her revolutionary bow-knot sweater in 1927 to the surrealist ‘Tears’ dress and ‘Shoe’ hat of the late 1930s, Judith Watt also explains the story of the uniquely shocking pink synonymous with Schiaparelli today.

VOGUE called Elsa Schiaparelli a genius ‘madder and more original’ than her contemporaries, championing and illustrating her designs from the first picture of the revolutionary ‘Bow Knot’ sweater in 1927 through to the Surrealist ‘Tear Dress’ and ‘Shoe Hat’ of the late 1930s.