26.10.2005
A fascinating exhibition featuring the clothes worn by six generations of women from a remarkable family has opened at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery with the help of staff, students and graduates from the University of Brighton.
'Fashion and Fancy Dress: The Messel Family Dress Collection 1865-2005', a major national exhibition funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, features 55 exceptional outfits, never before exhibited.
Hat, 1898, worn by Maud Messel as part of her going away outfit © Nicholas Sinclair
All three curators of the show and co-authors of its related book are closely connected to the university. Curator of Costume at Brighton Museum, Eleanor Thompson graduated in Design History, Amy de la Haye, also graduated in Design History, and having been curator of 20th Century Dress at the V&A is now Senior Research Fellow at the London College of Fashion. Lou Taylor, Professor of Dress and Textile History has worked with this collection since 1980 as the Curator of Costume and displayed some of the first Messel collection loans at Brighton museum's first fashion gallery.
The exhibition explores how treasured items of clothing, collected and preserved over time, represent family memory and heritage. A singular artistic and creative eye runs through the six generations encompassing English, Irish, French and Chinese style, and a love of fancy dress. From the 1870s onwards the women of this extended family have fulfilled their social obligations to dress correctly, while demonstrating a strong individual style.
Students studying both BA History of Design and Decorative Arts and also MA students from the university's History of Design and Material Culture MA programmes have been closely involved in developing this exhibition over the past four years. Their work included researching the family history and photographs, creating patterns of key dresses , making reproduction garments for visitors to try on, mounting the exhibition and putting together visual material.
The exhibition runs until March next year and a illustrated book entitled: "Family of Fashion: the Messels – Six Generations of Dress," written by the three curators and produced by Philip Wilson is now available.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton,
01273 643022
