Beard @ Somerset House

If you're looking for something a bit more highbrow than Fifty Shades of Grey to lust after this March then perhaps Beard at Somerset House will fill the more acceptable void of popular culture porn. 

Fitting neatly into the Terrace Rooms at Somerset House Beard is just what you'd expect from a portrait photography show with the phenomena of beards as the central theme. There are of course the handsome bearded men like Gavin Turk and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard thrilling many visitors. However the more unconventional beard is also celebrated with the beautiful British bearded woman Harnaam Kau who has been growing her facial since the age of sixteen due to her polycystic ovaries. 

The photographic prints are interesting and with pastel backgrounds they could almost look like paintings however I was disappointed that there was little information on the printing process and the visitor assistance knew not of it it either. 

The main drive to Mr Elbank’s project was Jimmy Niggles to familiar and incredibly handsome lead image of the campaign that leaked onto social media last year. Niggles a now prominent Australian charity campaigner grew his beard after the loss of a close friend to skin cancer. Niggles claims that he grew his beard with the aim of it becoming a conversation starter, using it as a platform to raise awareness of preventable diseases.  Inspiring photographer Elbank, this story prompted the #Project60 Campaign to raise awareness of Niggles’ Beard Season through social media and since Niggles has been the face much lusted after by beard-lovers. 

Social media is key to this show and its success. You are allowed to photograph the images and it does almost feel as if you have stepped into Elbank’s instagram feed. It is certainly a nicer way to view the portraits but for a show at Somerset House incredibly small and I left wanting to know so much more about the sitters, the photographic processes and the photographer. However, there are some great events on this week - it's last week!

Beard can be seen: 

Daily 10.00-18.00 (last entry 17.15)Terrace Rooms, South WingFree admission

Beards: Art Macabre Death Drawing Special

Wednesday, 25 March 2015, 19.00-21.00

£18.00

Sketch bearded bare models with Art Macabre at a special themed life drawing salon. Inspired by Mr Elbank's exhibition Beard, draw your own stylish bearded portraits as we celebrate the cultural phenomena of the Beard.

Captain Fawcett’s Grooming Parlour Talk

Thursday 26 March 2015, 14.00-14.40

Courtyard Rooms, South Wing, FREE Limited places

If you have been inspired by Beard but are a tad unsure on how to keep your own facial foliage in tip top condition, then why not join us along with the much esteemed Captain Fawcett for an informal chinwag that may go some way to answering your questions whilst offering tips on how to maintain a stiff upper lip regardless. With a battle cry of ‘All hail the hirsute’, Fawcett is the kind of chap you’d want on your side if ever you (and/ or your beard for that matter) were found wanting in the face of a sticky wicket. The Captain will be dispensing his wisdom with characteristic style and panache on all things needful for the well-turned out gent about town. A fine range of Captain Fawcett’s First Class Gentlemen’s Grooming Requisites will be available in the Rizzoli shop throughout the exhibition.

'Always accentuate the head and the feet' - Isabella Blow:Fashion Galore at Somerset House

Isabella Blow at Somerset House proves to be an exciting delve into the wardrobe of one of the most influential fashionistas of the 90’s and 00’s. Showcasing the talents of much loved British designer:  Alexander McQueen, Phillip Treacy and Hussain Chalaylan Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore is an exploration of Isabella’s life in the spotlight through her costumes.

Isabella Blow and Alexander McQueen

But who was Isabella Blow? Throughout the exhibition it’s hard to get to past the  and her outer image. A daughter of British aristocracy, Anna Wintour’s assistant at Vogue in the 80’s and fashion director for Sunday Times Style and Tatler are common facts  on Isabella, but the depths of her personality are left to be interpreted from her pink scrawl on her desk notes exhibited. With her suicide only six years ago perhaps Blow behind the fanciful hats and outfits is still too raw to explore. Especially with Daphne Guinness a close friend, now owns Blow’s incredible collection of clothes, shoes and hats. The exhibition at Somerset House explores Blow’s life topically, how the gossip magazines and the fashion world saw her – a muse, a talent spotter, personality and visionary, Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore Shows the dramatic legacy of her life in the hearts and minds of British Fashion. 

Entering the exhibition and passing through black heavy velvet curtains visitors are greeted with the eerie shadow of Isabella herself, projected from one of her hats on a stand it provides a staunch reminder that Isabella was hiding behind her costumes. What is most notable about this exhibition is that the late Alexander McQueen and the royal’s favourite hatter Phillip Treacy feature heavily. Their relationship with Isabella began when she bought their whole graduate Masters collections from Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art respectively. Giving them a space in her basement to explore their work Blow became their muse, their friend and their connection.

The exhibition reflects her influence on the pair dramatically. The first few rooms are dictated by their responses to Isabella Blow and her eccentric style showing the visitors the McQueen Dante A/W 1996 Collection that he dedicated to her. With dramatic exhibition design the space feels foreboding and you instantly feel that a tragic loss has occurred. 

With life installations by acclaimed set designer Shona Heath it’s upstairs where the really exciting way to exhibit a fashion exhibition come into play. The fifth room titled ‘'Isabella at work/Head and Feet'’ is my favourite space. Mannequin’s legs and arms are attached to boxes where her shoes are adorned; among the manolas is a pair of unmatching shoes that Andy Warhol loved of her. And boxes containing her rolodex from Tatler with her standard pink scrawl.

The exhibition design is ingenious and even more thrilling when it comes to the ‘shop windows’ here sits my favourite piece  The Ship hat. Sits upon the 'waterline' adorning the mannequins head and body underwater and accompanied by 'the lady gaga' lobster (Blow wore it first) 'The Ship' was directly influenced by Blow for Treacy, pondering 18th Century French engravings Blow had become fascinated with French women wearing miniature model ships in their hair to commemorate a naval win against the English. Treacy made a modern day equivalent with feathers black satin and the piece is as shockingly effective.  

Perhaps the real emotion of the show comes in the last room where Treacy and McQueen collaborate for McQueen’s S/S 2008 collection dedicating their work to her after her death. Inspired by Isabella the collection invokes her legacy and importance and how she should never be forgotten with one of the most important wardrobes of the late 20th early 21st Century. 

Isabella Blow:Fashion Galore is a must see. At Somerset House until 2nd March £12.50, £10 concessions, £6.25 on Mondays