After hosting two blockbuster exhibitions (The Moonwalkers and David Hockney: Bigger and Closer), Lightroom has just unveiled its third show: Vogue: Inventing the Runway.
You could say it’s fashionably late.
And as with its predecessors, it’s making the most of this 360º, triple-storey digital gallery by splashing every surface – even the floor – with jaw-dropping visuals. Drawing on Vogue’s vast archive of footage, the show takes you from the exclusive salons of the 1940s to the night that the Great Wall of China became one giant runway for Fendi. And being free to move around the space however you want, you’re guaranteed front row seats to some of the most iconic shows in fashion history.
You’ll find yourself transported to the gilded Opera Garnier in Paris, surrounded by sumptuously theatrical Dior couture, and follow oil-slicked urchins stumbling along a grungy, smoke-filled tunnel for Maison Margiela. You’ll see both striking natural settings and ambitious set-building – none more impressive than Karl Lagerfeld’s endlessly creative reinvention of the Grand Palais, transformed each season from grandiose Beaux-Arts building into Chanel-branded supermarkets, airports, a beach (complete with lapping waves), and even a rocket launchpad.
Being entirely surrounded by the passion, drama and creativity of the runway is an incredible experience. If you’re even remotely interested in fashion, it’s impossible not to get swept up by the sheer beauty and variety of designs parading around you. And the power of the visuals is increased a hundred-fold by a well-pitched soundtrack, which veers from opera to hip-hop and drums up all the energy of a collection debut – even before entering the main space, the scene is set by a corridor humming with backstage noise and chatter.
The constantly looping nature of the show means it leans more towards spectacle than exhibition. Voice-overs from designers, Vogue contributors and narration by Cate Blanchett all provide commentary on themes like ‘The Audience’, ‘Disruptors’ and ‘On Location’, but the tight 50 minute running time means there’s not a lot of breathing space to really get under the skin of some of the broad themes the show touches on. There are plenty of fascinating hooks, from Patrick Kelly’s gleeful subversion of racist tropes, to Hussein Chalayan’s collection of wearable furniture, referencing the migrant experience. They could easily merit a 50 minute exploration in themselves.
This also means that creative extremes have to be straddled in under an hour, and you’ll leave mindful of that one constant in fashion: everything repeats itself. After all, fashion houses started out by showcasing new designs to their aristocratic clientele in private Parisian apartments. We’re told how the evolution of media throughout the 20th century, from colour photography in magazines to the advent of the internet, made the runway more accessible – culminating in Alexander McQueen’s ‘pioneering’ livestream, and fashion shows taking to the streets. The circle completes itself as the likes of Tom Ford and the Olsen twins choose to debut their collections in private, sometimes even with a phone ban in place. Is it hard to see each ‘disruption’ as something novel? Possibly. But it’s still an awful lot of fun to go on the ride.
NOTE: Tickets to Vogue: Inventing the Runway cost £25 – you can book on the Lightroom website. The show runs until 26th April 2025.
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Vogue: Inventing The Runway | Lightroom, Lewis Cubitt Square, London, N1C 4DY
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