Unpicking Couture at Manchester Art Gallery

Always searching for outside inspiration, Unpicking Couture at Manchester Art Gallery seemed like a perfect fit for this month’s excursion. Described as “celebrating pioneering creativity and design”, the collection featured the works of designers such as Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli, Azzedine Alaïa, Cristobal Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, and Alexander McQueen. The exhibition even showcases the recent restoration of a 1930s silk velvet jacket by Italian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli. 

In celebrating creativity and design, not only at the forefront, but behind the scenes the exhibition is split into two main themes: investigating the links between fashion and emotions, and repair and restoration. Despite the gallery’s shrinking arts budget, the curators managed to fill a room with joy-filled couture, embracing the concept of “dopamine dressing.” Highlights included a gold and black ruffled Paco Rabanne and a beaded Alexander McQueen evening tunic from Autumn/Winter 1998. The McQueen piece shimmered within a portrait of three unknown German children, taken from a 1945 daguerreotype by Gustav Oehme. Wondering where the ‘dressing for joy’ comes in? McQueen reimagines the three sisters as young Romanov princesses, giving a whole new meaning to ‘dressing the part.’ 

Another unforgettable piece hails from the legendary Vivienne Westwood, a tireless champion of sustainability in fashion. Her printed toga dress with a train from the Autumn/Winter 1982 collection is a masterclass in versatility, designed to be worn in myriad ways and interpreted by each individual. This garment leaves the wearer in a delightful search for inspiration, much like the “primitive seed in the mud” that Westwood so adored.

The garments on display were acquired through a National Heritage Lottery Fund Collecting Cultures grant, and although beautiful to witness, represented the urgent need for an injection of funding into the Gallery (and arts generally in the UK). Each piece, though stunning to witness, was unable to have its moment due to limited space, and cohesiveness was missing. Within this, from the moment we walked in, it was evident that the exhibition was ‘community-focused’—a nod more to the requirements of the grant application than to the exhibition’s narrative.

Regardless, do I recommend a visit? 100% Yes; not only will you be inspired by the couture, but hopefully the potential the gallery holds.