Lost,in a 'Moment in Time'

A ‘Moment in Time’ by 70s fashion designer Bill Gibbs.

Once upon a time at the Fashion and Textile Museum was a fashion exhibition themed around nature and wildlife, castles and romance. All inspired by child who grew up in the Scottish Highlands, dreaming of ‘a magical world where princess lived in palaces, courtiers were arrayed in silks, satins and velvets’.

A Rapunzel model with hair cascading over the balcony wears a long gown of nude chiffon, with an empire line embroidered with gold, elongating her elegant figure. Even the medieval chrysanthemum printed leather panel skirt with a matching waist coat and silver flaneer buttons, is surprisingly feminine.

But as ‘magpies nest’ of his work, the exhibition was not awe inspiring, in fact a little drab. I found the bright newly painted building and illustrated exhibition space more eye catching than the garments. Where was the iconic designer who revolutionised knitwear? Whose dresses appear on Twiggy in Vogue? The ‘craziness that made up his world’ was lost in a Disney fairy tale fantasy.