I wore my neon-orange Stephen Sprouse jacket in London when I went to the “David Bowie Is” exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It looks washed-out in this weirdly lit photo, but it’s not like that in person.
What Wendy Wore to the Museum
Jacket: Vintage Stephen Sprouse (first seen in 2008)
Top: Versace (pre-2005)
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity (2011)
Shoes: Prada (2011)
Purse: Louis Vuitton (2001)
The exhibit was incredible. Usually I zip through museum exhibits and finish long before MrB (I read the wall captions faster!) but I was having so much fun dancing to the Bowie concert clips being shown in the final second-to-last room that MrB wound up waiting for me for 45 minutes in the gift shop.
The exhibit runs through August 11 and if you’re in London, I urge you to go! Book your tickets a couple of days ahead of time because the show does sell out. I found it so inspiring. For one thing, it was good to know that it took Bowie a few years to break into the music business. I’m always reminding myself (and my friends) that it takes 10 years to be an overnight success, so it’s reassuring to know that even truly great artists struggled. And seeing Bowie’s iconic, envelope-pushing costumes in real life was incredible, especially knowing that these days people panic over a performer like Usher wearing a pair of bright sneakers. Imagine if Usher wore the Kansai Yamamoto, knit, one-legged, one-sleeved bodysuit that Bowie wore on his Aladdin Sane tour in 1973!
In 2009, I wrote about another costume Yamamoto created for the same tour and it was a thrill to see it in person.
Doesn’t it suck that, in some ways, artists have gotten more conservative over the decades? It’s all so corporate, with “brand managers” crawling all over the creative people in every field, trying to choreograph every move in order to maximize the profits that pay for the brand managers’ salaries. Not much to be done about it though — that’s the world we live in.
If you’re not going to be able to catch the Bowie exhibit in London, you can get the exhibition catalog here. I highly recommend it. And while I’m making recommendations, I vote for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to pack up the V&A’s Bowie exhibit and fly it to New York City in time for the Costume Institute Ball next year. It would be huge success for sure.
After the museum, we went back to the hotel, where I changed part of my outfit for the theater that night. We saw One Man, Two Guvnors, which was highlarious. I laughed till I cried in my Jason Wu dress. I was still wearing the Sprouse jacket. I got the dress because it went with the jacket, and I was disappointed that I didn’t get to wear the combination last month when I debuted the dress in Chicago. It was too hot there, but London weather is good for jackets.
What Wendy Wore to the Theater
Jacket: Vintage Stephen Sprouse
Dress: Jason Wu (2013)
Shoes: Prada (2010)
I took the Underground back to the hotel … not the scooter I’m sitting on. I just borrowed that for the picture. Thanks, unknown scooter owner!
UPDATED TO ADD: I’ve linked up with the Visible Monday post at Not Dead Yet Style. Go over there to see the other highly visible wimmins.
I loved the Bowie exhibition! The costumes, the album covers, that letter from Alexander McQueen to Bowie apologising for not having the jacket done. Finished off with the concert clips, I could not leave!
Love your Jason Wu dress.
I kept wondering where he’d kept all of this stuff in such pristine condition over the years. In NYC, we have a big storage company called Manhattan Mini Storage. I keep imagining all Bowie’s priceless memorabilia there 😀
I also saw the Bowie show back in May. I loved it so much that I’m definitely going to see it again when it comes to Toronto in September.
If I had the resources and space, I would’ve bought the giant Diamond Dogs art print. I settled for the hard cover catalog.
I would definitely see it again too.
The Bowie exhibition is fantastic! Loved the penultimate room with the floor-to-ceiling video screens. Just been to a new 80s fashion exhibition at the V&A, which is a lot smaller but pretty cool.
Oops, you’re, right, it’s the second-to-last room, not the last room. I need to fix that!
I would love to see the exhibit! and thanks for this: “it takes 10 years to be an overnight success”. Rinse, repeat. You look stunning in your SS jacket, and thanks for linking up to Vis Monday.
I swear, for most of us there is no getting around the 10 years rule.
ugh! my green eyes are ultra-green with jealousy right now. I’ve been obsessed with all things Bowie for the last 15 years or so.
The book is worth getting then!
You look grand, and very much the appreciative, knowledgeable design fan. Thank you so much for the brief tour! I make sure I scope out a local bar or cafe for the huz to lite in while he inevitably waits for me. That way he has a drink waiting for me and has read the rest of whatever periodical he’s obsessed with. Good that he’s a news junkie … there’s always news to keep him occupied.
Since I’m usually the one doing the waiting, I’m pretty happy in the gift shop 🙂
I especially love the theater look- that jacket is super versatile…great color! 🙂
Who knew it could go with something besides a black t-shirt?! But Stacy Lomman helped me sort it out 🙂
It was my pleasure 🙂
*Marcel voice*
Great outfits as usual!
I loooove my tee shirt! I wore it this week!
I want to see you on a scooter 🙂
You have to look through the exhibition book … it’s fabulous!
So glad you got to see the exhibit! I got the book back when the exhibit opened & still keep opening it to drool over. Got some cute other things from the gift shop, the poster for the exhibition was a steal & is now over my mantel — it says “David Bowie is here” makes me smile every time I look at it! I do hope they bring it to NY, there have been rumors, if not, I’m heading to Toronto! Love the Sprouse! XXX
I like the idea that David Bowie is in your house 🙂
Oh boy so do I! And now that I found out he has house about 40 mins upstate from me… save up for bail money! Haha! (Unless of course you decide to be my fellow stalker, then we’ll both be calling home saying “um honey, got in a spot of trouble!”) XXX
Oh boy so do I! And now that I found out he has house about 40 mins upstate from me… save up for bail money! Haha! (Unless of course you decide to be my fellow stalker, then we’ll both be calling home saying “um honey, got in a spot of trouble!”) XXX
I was a big David Bowie fan in the day! I remember that second outfit. Love YOUR outfits. Those jeans are perfect. I’m thinking I should spring for a nice pair to go with my thrifted tops. Debbie @ ilovemylemonadelife.com
Can’t go wrong with a good pair of jeans!