V-Day

>> A slowish internet connection prevented me from fully enjoying the delights of the Valentino Garavini Virtual Museum, which needs to be downloaded onto your computer to be used along with a fairly stable internet connection.  I was thinking that perhaps the idea of Virtual Museum on a computer was going to be slightly naff – a little like placing a fashion exhibition in a Sims game with my grumbling at the pixelated quality of everything.  I take it back.  Now that I'm back at home with my mahussive iMac screen, I have gotten well and truly lost in this exhibition.  I'm sure most of you have had a go on it but if there are any naysayers out there, I suggest hooking up a computer to a TV screen or trying it on a bigger screen because for me, it makes all the difference.    

Obviously I'm most please that my bum is plonked firmly on seat and yet I've apparently navigated the physical equivalent space of 10,000 square metres containing over 5,000 images and 300 dresses that can be zoomed into minute detail, broken up into theme and decade.  It's a mouse drag and click work out though and adjusting the initial settings of zoom speed, screen resolution and sound volume will enhance this experience greatly but it takes nothing away from the sheer amount of imagery delight the museum provides, something that other houses could surely emulate in breadth and organisation.  

I'll leave those to have a go at it if you haven't yet (and yes, downloading a 30mb programme is one extra step that might prevent a few people from trying out it out) but for now, I can't help but Tumblr-spew a ton of images that I quickly screen grabbed from my visit to the museum.  It feels weird just saying that.  More of this thing they call the future please, if this is how fashion can be communicated to all, negating geography and financial status.  

Shalom Harlow photographed by Satoshi Saikusa for the Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1993-4 campaign.

Veruschka wears Haute Couture Spring/Sumer 1969. Photographed by Franco Rubartelli for Linea Italiana, 1969.

Veruschka wears Haute Couture Spring/Sumer 1967. Photographed by Franco Rubartelli, 1967.

Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1972. Photographed by Jean-Jacques Bugat for Vogue Italia, 1972.

Benedetta Barzini wears Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1968-9 and Mirella Petteni wears Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1968-9. Photographed by Henry Clarke for Vogue USA, 1968.

Jeanette Christiansen wears Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1971 and Isa Stoppi wears Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1971. Photographed by Chris Von Wagenheim, 1971.

Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 1989-90. Marie Claire Italia, 1989.

Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 1996-7. Donna, 1996.

Photographed by Deborah Turbeville for the Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 1977-8 campaign.

Lisa Ratliffe wears Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1972-3. Photographed by Tim Walker for "Valentino's Red Book", Rizzoli, 2000.

Photographed by Then for the Valentino Bijoux Fall/Winter 1988-9 campaign.

Trish Goff, Stella Tennant and Kirsty Hume photographed by Patrick Demarchelier for Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 1996 campaign.

Melanie Thierry wears Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1959. Photographed by Peter Lindbergh for "Valentino's Red Book", Rizzoli, 2000.

Grace Jones photographed by Jean-Paul Goude for Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 1983 campaign.

Sayoko Yamaguchi photographed by Noriaky Yokosuka for Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1983 campaign.

Valentino Bodywear Spring/Summer 1983 campaign photographed by Helmut Newton.