Vogue 100: A Century of Style

Having Monday afternoon's off school is a blessing and I love to use this free time as wise and as productively as I can. This Monday, my mum and I ventured to the National Portrait Gallery in Leicester Square to visit the 'Vogue 100: A Century of Style' exhibition. I was ridiculously excited to explore room's filled with the history of my favourite magazine; even the front entrance of the gallery excited me!

We were greeted in the foyer of the exhibition to 4 tall posts which were adorned with years and years worth of Vogue covers. Dating back to as early as the 1920's, the covers were so varied and we were able to see the evolution of the front cover. What I loved was how they used to be illustrated by hand before photography arrived and took over. Original artwork was also shown and I loved seeing the real editions because all the brushstrokes and pen etchings were visible. It gave a sense of realness and a personal perspective to the magazine.

This is an original print of a beautiful photo of a model wearing a traditional Chanel tweed suit and a beautiful hat designed by Karl Lagerfeld. I instantly fell in love with the chicness of this image, paired with Chanel=perfection!

The image in the middle is of Christy Turlington and I thought it was just mesmerising. My mum also mentioned that she was the most famous supermodel back when she was a teen.

This timeline of Vogue's story gave me such an insight into the empowerment that the magazine aims to bring to women. Vogue was launched in 1916 - slap bang in the middle of World War I and I found this incredible because this was a time where females were being oppressed and didn't have as equal rights as we do now. It really showed how Vogue was a beacon of hope for women and still is today.

This exhibition is a must-see. It brings the magazine so much life that you could never have imagined a paper magazine to possess. So inspiring, so wonderful, therefore, I can conclude that it was a Monday afternoon very well spent.