The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
Style bible
The golden age of fashion illustration
Floral prints and fashion sketches
Unseen and rare works by Antonio Lopez, Karl Lagerfeld, Colin Mcdowell, René Gruau and Bil Donovan (pictured) are now on display in Bath. The exhibition Drawing on Style encourages us to remember a time when artists influenced the way we shopped. It may seem implausible now, but pre-instagram, it was their inkings (featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and more) that we turned to for wardrobe inspiration. Each sketch, of course, now looks like a masterpiece in its own right. Until 30 November; Gray MCA, 5 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath BA1.
FULLY EQUIPPED
British shoe designer Tabitha Simmons is making her first foray into womenswear via a new collaboration with French label Equipment. The silk blouses and slip dresses with which Equipment has become synonymous are covered with Simmons’ English-country-style floral prints. Plus, of course, there are four new shoe styles in the collection, which are destined to become cult favourites. Prices from £225, equipmentfr.com.
RIGHT ON TIME
Renowned for its design collaborations, Swiss watch brand Rado has enlisted Welsh furniture whizz Bethan Gray. The True Thinline Studs model is inspired by her marquetry Masirah table, and Gray tasked Rado with recreating the way it reflects light, using 0.4mm-thick slivers of metal. The dial’s satin sheen is in contrast to a chunky textured-leather strap set with her signature studs. Because, at home or on your wrist, you can’t beat a bit of brass. £1,560, rado.com. SR-G
ALL THE COVERS
‘A great cover triggers a conversation,’ explains Ian Birch, author of Uncovered (Cassell, £30), a new book that explores the most groundbreaking magazine covers ever published. ‘They start a debate, demand attention and even become a rallying call,’ he says. Describing the book as an oral history, Birch spoke to editors, photographers and some of the cover stars themselves to gain an insight into the stories behind them. Spanning from the 1950s up to 2017, topics include everything from hemlines to human rights. Here, Birch explains the covers that got the fashion world talking… CMD
ANOTHER DIMENSION
Londoners are becoming more familiar with the name Bucherer since the Swiss timepiece giant took over Selfridges’ Watch Gallery last year. But what even they may not know is that the 130-year-old company also has a fine-jewellery arm. It has enlisted New York designer Yunjo Lee for the latest collection, B Dimension, in which graphic discs are subtly folded like stylised butterfly wings. The effect is most striking when one diamondpavéd half contrasts with a semi-circle of bold lapis or carnelian: wear one of each for the full Ellsworth Kelly effect (the American sculptor was Lee’s inspiration for the collection). Bucherer Fine Jewellery Boutique, Selfridges Wonder Room, Oxford Street, London W1; uk.bucherer.com. SR-G
The Queen, 1959
‘This was more than a fashion-magazine cover. The then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan even asked the editor for a copy for every cabinet minister the day it came out. He wanted to prove, as the cover says, that it was a boom period.’
US Cosmopolitan, 1965
‘This was the first issue under Helen Gurley Brown, who wrote Sex and the Single Girl. It sold out in days. Until then the pill had never been mentioned on a magazine cover. She talked to women in a way that had never been done.’
Oprah, 2013
‘This caused “Froprah” mania. Featuring an afro on a magazine cover in a non-political way like this was extremely liberating for a lot of women.’