November, 27th, 2012

Glamorous morning meeting with the ravishing Judith Watt splendid as always in 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 Am anda 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 Chris topher Kane. It is telling that that all came from a run down building in Soho, where so many tu tors 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 Alex ander McQueen, authoring Oc tober’s 2012 Alex ander McQueen: Master of the Fantastic, Judith Watt wrote also Schiaparelli collaborated with artists such as Salva dor 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 s tory 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.