London Weekend: The Glamour of Italian Fashion and Pradasphere

I've just come back from London after having a short break in the city to catch up with friends. The temperature is warming up in the UK, so London was that typical hot/sticky/heavy mess that the heat brings!

Despite the heat I had a great time checking out The Glamour of Italian Fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as Pradasphere at Harrods.

The Glamour of Italian Fashion is open until the 27th July and features stunning dresses worn by individuals such as Lee Radziwill, Maria Agnelli and Audrey Hepburn. The exhibition examines Italy's dramatic transition from post-war ruins to the luxury paraded in the landmark ‘Sala Bianca’ catwalk shows held in Florence in the 1950s, which propelled Italian fashion onto the world stage. During the 1950s and '60s the many Hollywood films that were shot on location in Italy had an enormous impact on fashion as stars like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor became style ambassadors for Italian fashion, fuelling a keen international appetite for luxurious clothing made in Italy. On display are around 100 ensembles and accessories by leading Italian fashion houses including Simonetta, Pucci, Sorelle Fontana, Valentino, Gucci, Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Marni, Fendi, Prada and Versace, through to the next generation of fashion talent.

My favourite piece was the evening dress of embroidered net and matelasse coat, designed by Mila Schön, and worn by Lee Radziwill to the famous Black and White Ball at the Plaza.

Pradasphere at Harrods was equally as fascinating, and with the items in large curved glass cases with wooden edging, it reminded me of an old vintage shop! Housed on the store’s Fourth Floor, the PRADASPHERE exhibition will trace the ever-widening ambitions of Italy’s most influential fashion house, and present a broad spectrum of historic collections, special projects, collaborations and experiments. The carefully curated selection of design ideas will be adjoined to the first PRADASPHERE Café. Do check this out before it closes at the end of this month.

I also stopped by Tory Burch, where there were some gorgeous new shoes in stock! Check out my favourites below.