Vogue 100: A Century of Style Exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery

Whilst I am interning in London for London Fashion Week at a bespoke bridal company (a blog post will be on it's way to tell you all about the brand I am working for and what I have been doing!) I got the chance to go over to Trafalgar Square and visit the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition which is currently on at the National Portrait Gallery. I was so excited to see the exhibition because I love everything about Vogue as it is one of the most influential, iconic and ultra-modern fashion magazines of all time which has contributed to the birth of the legendary model, Kate Moss by granting her with over 35 outstanding British cover's and hundreds of editorials across the international magazine company since 1994. I was even more excited because I actually went to see it during the opening week so the National Portrait Gallery was filled with a fresh and excited atmosphere as fellow visitor's came to view over 280 different prints from their favourite style publication.

The exhibition surrounds the 100 years that Vogue has sat on our newsstands. As I walked through the exhibition, it had sectioned off every ten years of the magazine providing old photography and editions of the magazine which had been hidden away in Conde Nast archives in London and New York for a very long time. However, that time has now ended and Conde Nast have teamed up with the National Portrait Gallery to bring these flawless photographs out of hiding and to define the story behind the revolution of Vogue.

Overall, I really enjoyed the exhibition as it provided so much detail and insight about the development of the publication and how it has become so iconic today over any other fashion magazine in the world. It also uncovers the times when the fashion industry was at it's most glamorous heights and alternatively when it was at it's depressing low's due to the conflict of political, social and economic problems during certain era's. Vogue not only effects our fashion choices, but it also shapes our cultures, attitudes and beliefs when it comes to everyday lifestyle. Therefore, it is primarily a journalistic publication, but it is also a mechanism which teaches ways of life and a guide to being the most fashionable person around.

As I walked around the different decades of Vogue, many photographs and illustrations (from early days of the magazine) caught my eye. Here are a few from each decade which I really liked and thought epitomized the fashion of the era and Vogue's concept on style.

1900's

10's

Dolores with crystal ball, May 1919

20's

Josephine Baker by George Hoyningen-Huene, 1929

30's

Marlene Dietrich by Cecil Beaton in 1936
40's
November 1944

50's

'The Varnished Truth' Jean Patchett by Clifford Coffin, July 1951

Anne Gunning in Jaipur, India November 1956 by Norman Parkinson
60's

'Focus on the Face' Jean Shrimpton in Vogue August 1966 photographed by Saul Leiter

David Hockney, Peter Schlesinger and Maudie James, photographed by Cecil Beaton December 1968

70's

'Space between the Sun' editorial in July 1973

'Lime Light Nights' by Helmut Newton October 1973

80's

'Romance in Lacroix' October 1987 by Patrick Demarchelier

Claudia Schiffer in Paris by Herb Ritts October 1989
90's

'Send in the Gowns' October 1991 by Patrick Demarchelier

Nick Knight, 1994

'Christy' by Nick Knight 1994

The Beckham's by Juergen Teller 1999
2000's

'Fashion Pantomime' December 2004 by Tim Walker

'Trail Blazer' March 2008 by Mario Testino

'Chocks away' by Tim Walker 2009

2010's

'Private Dancer' 2010 by Javier Vallhonrat

'Mighty Aphrodite' Kate Moss June 2012 by Mert and Marcus

'Don't mess with the Texas' July 2012 by Tom Craig

My Favourite Magazine covers throughout the Century
Over the past 100 year there have been thousands of front covers for Vogue but here are a few of my favourites which I came across whilst strolling around the centenary exhibition.