Amelia's Magazine | An Evening of Retro Hollywood Glamour at the Victoria & Albert Museum

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An Evening of Retro Hollywood Glamour at the Victoria & Albert Museum

The V&A transports us back to the golden age of the silver screen, during a very special retro Hollywood glamour-themed Friday Late…

Written by Jemma Crow

Glamour at the V&A, illustrated by Gabriel Ayala

It’s been a year for the bygone eras, that’s for sure. First we had Vintage at Goodwood, then there’s an exhibition celebrating Horrockses 1950s style at the Fashion & Textile Museum, and now the V&A wants in on the action. Well it’s not strictly their first foray into the era; in fact it was all the way back in April that Grace Kelly: Style Icon hit down in London and has been fully booked ever since (well that’s how it seemed whenever I’ve tried to visit anyway.)

Illustration by Katherine Tromans

So what perfect timing for them to present…..drum roll please……an evening of “Retro Hollywood Glamour.” And it was at the end of August that I was whisked away to party with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Marilyn Monroe (metaphorically speaking) whilst the DJ spun the hits of yesteryear. All in all people were drinking champagne and were having a jolly spiffing time.

But probably the most spectacular aspect of the evening was the amount of people who committed and dressed up to the nines as their heroes. Men and women put on their most dapper suits and fullest skirts to party, and most made a pretty good job of it.

Illustration by Kellie Black

If you so fancied (and could cope with the queue!) your flowing locks could also be transformed into something quite spectacular (involving rollers and a lot of hairspray) and similarly a Hollywood makeover was available all within movie star tents boasting lighted mirrors in the grand entrance hall. The perfect way to complement your 1950s outfit and finally feel like a movie star.

And that wasn’t all for the events going on throughout the evening. Everything was thought of; from acting out radio plays, partaking in a screen printing workshop, doodling away with Daisy de Villeneuve or simply reminiscing over old movie trailers. Not bad for a night out at the museum.

As part of the Friday Lates this Summer at the V&A, it was a spectacular event. Maybe we can hope for the swinging 60s in the Autumn?

Retro Hollywood Glamour at the V&A: in Pictures