On Saturday, new exhibition ‘Bedazzled’, which highlights fashion from the 1920s until the present day has opened in the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Birkenhead.
The exhibition includes 20 different pieces including dresses, jewellery, jackets and more all from different eras in the last century.
Head of the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Pauline Rushton said: ‘it’s really all about bling, we’ve got this fantastic collection of beaded and sequined evening wear from the 1920s to present day.’
She added: ‘What we’re trying to say in the show is that it has got an enduring appeal. its been popular throughout the past century, for the past 100 years and we’re still buying beaded and sequined evening wear.’
Underneath each piece includes a plaque with a background on the making of the garment as well as backstory on the past owner of the piece.
Pauline said: ‘What we’d like to show them apart from the fact it’s a visual feast for the eyes in terms of beautiful sparkly clothes. its the skills behind the making of the clothes.’
She added: ‘We explore who made them, where they were made, how they were made and sold, what are the reasons for their enduring appeal today.’
Out of 20 pieces 9 once belonged to the late Leila Potter, a local lady from Liverpool who was known for her fabulous and over the top wardrobe.
Pauline said: ‘She was a massive fan of sparkly clothes, very colourful things and she had a huge wardrobe, some of which you’re seeing today.’ Watch Here
There is a mix of handmade and machine made garments across the gallery.
Pauline said: ‘They are all made with some kind of level of skill, some of them will be machine made because in the 20s to make things cheaper and more accessible they would have a machine technician making them.’
She added: ‘The things that were at the top end of the market, in terms of value and things that were the most expensive would have all been hand-beaded and hand sequined.’
Pauline also goes onto explain the significance of fashion trends recycling themselves within the exhibition.
‘In the 1980s there was a revival in this kind of garment where people wanted sparkly evening wear, it was partly influenced by popular culture.’
She added: ‘Back in the 80s there were shows like Dallas and Dynasty where the female characters were wearing lots of glittery clothing and that transferred to the high street.’
For Pauline one jacket in particular stood out to be her favourite: ‘There’s one in the third gallery, which is a little multi-coloured sequined zip up jacket.’
She added: ‘it’s a bit strange because it’s a short-sleeved jacket with a zip up the front so it’s almost sporty but it’s completely sequined and you can see it’s got a great cut to it and very much inspired by fine art. It’s kind of abstract art being made into a garment so that’s one of my favourites.’ Watch here
The exhibition is free to enter and is open from the 26th of October until the 26th of January.
Listen to a snippet of our interview with Pauline:
To get a sneak peek on what you can see at Bedazzled watch our videos below:
