Meeting Giorgio!
Today the death was announced of Giorgio Armani. What’s my connection with the fashion designer? My journey to becoming a novelist began when I took up freelance writing for magazines mostly about art, antiques and books.
The Imperial War Museum was about to launch an exhibition on one of my favourite British artists, Eric Ravilious so I rang the editor of Weekend to ask if I could review it. He said ‘No’ but you can review the Armani at the Royal Academy. I was pleased that we were talking on the phone and not face to face so he couldn’t see my unstylish outfit. Of course I agreed and it was my first foray into writing about fashion. I arrived at the press preview wearing not an Armani suit like most of the others present but a 1940s vintage tweed jacket! I stood out!
I watched with a wry smile while Norman Rosenthal introduced Giorgio Armani. Rosenthal had said that there would be fashion at the RA ‘over his dead body’ but he looked pretty alive to me. Georgio had given the RA a large donation, which I’m sure had nothing to do with the U-turn!
Not having studied fashion, I approached my review of the Armani retrospective as seeing how Giorgio adapted his designs as women’s roles and lives changed in post war world. It worked. The joy of writing about fashion is how it can look on the page.
The editor liked it and let me review the Ravilious too!
Unlike many writers, I tried to shine a light on exhibitions not given enough publicity including Black British Fashion, Africa Remix and the Indian textile culture.I was privileged to meet Vivienne Westwood when I reviewed exhibitions for the Weekend Magazine of The Oxford Times. I was at the press day for her crowning glory –the retrospective exhibition at the V&A in May 2004. I‘ve just watched Marie Antoinette and it reminded me of how she was inspired by fashion history especially when she moved from grunge to glamour.
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/1868593.decade-changed-face-fashion/ Dior in the fifties