This week we’d like to take you ‘Out and About’ in New York and London, starting at The Met Museum in NYC to explore Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. We’ll also take a look at the reopening of London’s National Portrait Gallery. Join us as we explore!

New York

Until 16th July, you can enjoy The Costume Institute’s exhibition at The Met Museum which examines the work of Karl Lagerfeld. Pieces focus on the designer’s stylistic vocabulary within his fashions from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019. There are around 150 items on display with many accompanied by Lagerfeld’s original sketches.

Our favourite part of the exhibition was the artisanal and mechanical line section where we enjoyed examples of how Lagerfeld embraced the combination of hand made and machine made techniques. This Chanel dress’ stitch work reminded us of some stitching techniques found within Indian fabrics. The embroidered lace with black and white silk threads stood out alongside the organic shapes of the skirt.

These Fendi dresses combine various materials such as mink fur, silk tulle, pearls and silk threads. The textures and combination of techniques and materials were truly astonishing!

This Chanel dress reminded us of Jaume Plensa’s striking sculpture in the lobby at Crosby Street Hotel. The dress is made with silk organza, silk tulle, crystals and horsehair. It’s fascinating how both Plensa’s sculpture and the dress’ materials are different yet create a similar transparent effect.

London

In London, we’re celebrating the reopening of The National Portrait Gallery. A stone’s throw away from Haymarket Hotel, the gallery has been closed since March 2020 to undergo the most major refurbishment since it was first established in 1856.

Following the refurbishment, the gallery’s entrance has been repositioned to the north façade of the building. Here, three windows were converted into three-panel doors. These seminal doors are a commission by artist Tracey Emin and consist of 45 portraits of women drawn and cast in bronze.

This addresses a historic gender imbalance, since only male figures are featured on sculptural roundels of the gallery’s Portland stone exterior. Each individual face will conjure up personal emotions for the viewer and if you look closely you will see the artist’s fingerprints in the reliefs. Never underestimate the power of the human touch!

We hope we’ve inspired you to get ‘Out and About’ in New York or London this summer. Share your favourite exhibitions with us on Instagram @KitKempDesignThread.