The Victoria and Albert Museum is home to the largest textile collection in the world. Their fashion gallery is incredibly popular (aka Room 40), with popular clothing spanning four centuries. And the Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition is V&A’s most popular exhibition to date, including Princess Margaret’s 21st birthday dress. Not all of the textiles are in one place, though. Some of my favourites are actually in Room 105, the theatre and performance gallery. The historic costumes at the Victoria and Albert Museum are some of the most gorgeous, and I am so thrilled I was able to see them in person. And now you get to see them as well!
The theatre and performance gallery has all sorts of items related to the performing arts. Costumes, posters, handbills, scripts, and even model theatres. As a dancer and an historian of ballet, it was wonderful to see it all together. It is a literal treasure trove of dance, theatre, and opera history. I also believe that costumes play a significant role in fashion history, but aren’t always considered by a lot of fashion historians and aficionados. It’s time to start looking at them more often and more seriously. So, what fantastic costumes at the Victoria and Albert Museum did I find?
Costume for The Seagull, 1994
This is quite a new costume, at just 25 years old. However, it still has an incredible grandeur and presence. The Seagull is an Anton Chekhov play, written in 1895 and first performed in 1896. Like The Nutcracker, The Seagull was originally a flop and a failure. Chekhov continued to work on the play though, and it slowly became a fan favourite. This particular costume was created for the 1994 National Theatre production of The Seagull, for the character Irina Arkadina. She is an actress on holiday with her lover on her family estate. As you can see from the back (which wouldn’t often be seen), it is a rather elaborate costume. According to the V&A, it is an
Edwardian-style evening gown of heavy black panne velvet, the front and back with full-length inserted panels of metal thread gold lace with at waist to front a large oval artificial gem within gold braid. At each side of the front panel two narrower hanging panels studded with artificial gemstones, artificial pearls and sequins, each ending in a point with a tassel of plaited braid. The ‘leg of mutton’ sleeves with deep cuffs decorated with the same metal thread lace and ‘gems’. The wide collar of three layers of pleated gauze, the inner layer wired and edged with artificial pearls.
The only downfall of this room for me is that it can be hard to see the front and back of a piece. There is typically another item on the other side, blocking it. However, I will stick with adoring the back of this gown for now.
Margot Fonteyn’s Swan Lake Tutu, 1964
As I chatted about in my Secrets of the Royal Opera House post, Swan Lake was a particularly difficult ballet for Margot Fonteyn. However, it also gave her an immense sense of pride and satisfaction. This is her Odile costume from the third act of the Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake, aka the Black Swan. This isn’t a strict platter tutu; it softens out and drops gently at the edges for a softer line. Interestingly, in prior performances, a red costume was worn for Odile. However, obviously the black costume was enduring, as we know the role as the Black Swan today. This particular production was notable, as it starred Fonteyn and her infamous partner, Rudolf Nureyev. And the beading in person, it is just stunning. Truly a piece of ballet history. (And if you are curious, it is not identical to the Odile tutu that also belong to Fonteyn on display on
Coronation Gown for Boris Godunov, 1910
I am rather new to opera myself, and have yet to see it in person. However, between seeing these gorgeous costumes at the Royal Opera House and here at the V&A, and the Royal Opera clips, I’ve been won over. This particular costume caught my eye immediately. It is the coronation gown of the titular character of Boris Godunov, and it looks exactly like you would think a coronation gown would look. (Particularly a Russian coronation gown…) This particular costume was made in 1910 by Alexander Golovin, a costumer and set designer who would turn to painting after the 1917 revolution. Boris Godunov was produced for Sergei Diaghilev’s Russian Opera, during their 1909 season in Paris. Diaghilev was a notable figure in Russian artistic circles, as he would go on to found the Ballet Russes company. But back to Golovin and the costume! It was worn by singer Feodor Chaliapin in the coronation scene, and is still in amazing condition. And if you are looking for your London connection, Chaliapin also appeared in Boris Godunov in 1913 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane!
Recreation of Louis XIV’s Apollo Costume, 1969
This may not jump out and scream “ballet!!”, but it is actually a recreation of one of the first ballet costumes. As I chatted about in my Origins of Ballet post, Louis XIV’s love of dance is largely responsible for the formalisation of ballet. Under Louis, ballet was codified, and productions became more elaborate. Apollo is one of his more infamous roles- as the Sun King, it seems only appropriate that he would also be Apollo in Ballet de la Nuit. Obviously this is not Louis’s actual costume- it was recreated for the Royal Ballet to use in their Ballet for All education program. Made with twentieth century materials like gold lurex, it is incredibly eye-catching in person. I must say, while the dancing may not be quite as difficult as we have come to expect, I would love to see one of these productions for the costumes and sets. (A true blast from ballet’s past!)
What do you think of the historic costumes at the Victoria and Albert Museum? Are there any that stand out to you?
Cheers,
The Historian
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