The City of London has a new public roof garden - and it's free.

There’s a stunning new way to get a fresh perspective of London: a roof garden has opened on the 15^th floor of a just-built office block on Fenchurch St in the City. And even better, it’s free for the public to visit and currently you don’t have to book in advance.

The Garden at 120 Fenchurch St covers the entire roof, some 2,800 sq m, and has 360° views that range from Tower Bridge in the east to St Paul’s in the west, while also taking in more recent landmarks such as the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie.

A striking water feature runs through it, and there are plenty of wooden benches where visitors can sit and contemplate the huge changes going on across London, the developments marked by clusters of cranes.

Although the garden is surrounded by a high glass wall that gives some protection from the wind, it’s a very exposed growing environment, and it looks as if a lot of thought has been put into what will thrive there.

Last year dozens of vines were planted to grow up the struts of the pergola that covers the central area; these look rather bare at present, but hopefully will be dripping with wisteria by early summer.

In mid February, when the garden opened, the remains of a few roses were clinging on to bushes, and the first shoots of spring bulbs were starting to appear.

Lots of grasses and golden achillea were helping to fill the beds, and green hedging was there to provide shelter for more tender plants

When you exit the lift on the way out, it’s worth stopping for a few moments to admire the digital art installation on the ceiling of the entrance hall (above), with stunning moving images, mostly taken from nature. The building, One Fen Court, is designed by Eric Parry Architects on behalf  of  the insurance company Generali.

The garden can accommodate just over 200 people at once, so while access is instant at the time of writing, as things get busier, there may be some queues. It's open 1000 to 1830 Mon – Fri over winter (October 1 to March 31) and 1000 – 2100 in summer (closed weekends).This live link shows how many people are actually there:
https://thegardenat120.com/#content/page/gardencapacity_ipsos
More info at:

https://www.thegardenat120.com/#content/page/visitor_info

Swinging London - a Lifestyle Revolution

It’s not often you see a stamp celebrating a fashion designer, but in 2009 the Royal Mail chose this image of Mary Quant to be part of a series commemorating innovative British design. The jersey dress she is wearing was one of her favourites – Banana Split, created in 1967 for her Ginger Group collection – and it epitomised the youthful spirit that she and fellow members of the Chelsea set brought to post-war Britain. Swinging London: A Lifestyle Revolution, at the Fashion and Textile Museum, pays tribute to these radical young architects, designers, photographers and artists. Mary Quant, born in 1934, was at the forefront of this group of revolutionaries, who, along with Terence Conran (an old school friend of her husband, Alexander Plunket Greene) created a new way of shopping and living.

She opened her first boutique, Bazaar, in the Kings Road, in 1955. Her simple pinafores and shifts, often worn with coloured stockings, were a far cry from the wasp-waists and sweeping skirts of the New Look that had been dominating fashion. With the advent of the sixties, hemlines rose, hotpants appeared, and she experimented with new materials, such as synthetics and PVC.

Chelsea became a magnet for the trendy and beautiful. Her clothes made international headlines when they were worn by the supermodels of the day, including Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, but although high fashion, they were affordable for the working woman. From 1961 to 1972 she designed collections for J.C. Penney, the biggest department store chain in the US, where she was seen as part of the “British Invasion” alongside pop stars such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

In 1964 she delighted home sewers when her distinctive designs began appearing in Butterick pattern books, and in 1966 launched her first range of makeup with the iconic daisy motif and also, as part of the ‘total look’ designed plastic jewellery that was eyecatching and fun.

Conran, for his part, created a showcase for her wares with her second Bazaar store, which opened in upmarket Knightsbridge in 1957. It was unlike any other shop at the time: window displays were banished, so passersby could see everything that was going on inside. A central, free-floating staircase descended from the mezzanine floor, almost like a catwalk for customers and the staff, who always wore Quant creations. It was all part of Conran’s vision of bringing ‘the good life’ to the British public. In 1964 he opened Habitat, his lifestyle store, where duvets, chicken bricks, paper lampshades and wicker furniture appealed to young people enjoying the increasing availability of inexpensive package holidays abroad, while frequenting the trattorias and bistros springing up on UK high streets.

His multi-purpose light and stylish furniture did much to change attitudes to interior design. On display is a bed-settee from 1958 (above) and a knock-down storage range from 1962. Nearby is a 1960s House and Garden cover feature extolling ‘luxury one-roomed apartments – bed sitters on a budget’.

The exhibition incorporates roomsets where you can see how the designs of  Quant and Conran complemented each other. It also looks at the influence Italian Surrealist artist Piero Fornasetti had on him, and the early work of Laura and Bernard Ashley, whose ideas were making their mark on pop culture long before their iconic florals appeared. The simple, hardworking striped smocks, aprons and the easy to wear ‘basic dress’ they marketed (below) would go on to become design classics.

Altogether, an informative and rewarding look at a fashion era that still reverberates today. After all,  the mini never really went away, and Quant's trademark daisy remains instantly recognisable.

Swinging London: A lifestyle revolution. Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey St, London SE1 3XF. To June 2, 2019. Tickets £9.90 (concessions available) at ftmlondon.org.

The exhibition is accompanied by a learning programme that includes talks, events and workshops. Details on the museum’s website.

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams

V&A Christian Dior Designer of Dreams exhibitionBallroom section (c) ADRIEN DIRAND

“A ballgown is a dream, and it must make you a dream”.

So wrote Christian Dior in 1954. He loved designing clothes that could be worn at balls and fancy dress parties, transforming the wearer into a magical being. The grand finale of this exhibition at the V&A – the largest on the House of Dior ever to be staged in the UK – ends with a selection of extravagant evening outfits created by both the master and his successors, all shimmer and sparkle. Ranging from a strapless silk gown made for Margot Fonteyn in 1955 to the navy slip dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, to the Met gala held in Dior’s honour in 1996, they really are the stuff of dreams, far from the everyday world.

Christian Dior (1905–57), Bar Suit, Haute Couture, SpringSummer 1947, Corolle Line. Photo (c) Laziz Hamani. V&A

But, as is clear throughout the displays, Dior's genius had an enduring impact on day wear as well. He shook the fashion world in 1947 with his first collection, the New Look (as it was dubbed by a journalist). After the boxy, utilitarian clothes that were everywhere during World War II, this heralded a return to softness and romance, with rounded shoulders, wasp waists, and ballerina-length skirts using yards of material, despite fabric still being rationed. There was no going back. Women, accustomed to ‘make do and mend’ did their best to lengthen their skirts and nip in their waists while waiting for the restrictions to be lifted.

Christian Dior with model Sylvie, circa 1948. Courtesy of Christian Dior

Dior, born in 1905, first visited Britain in 1926, and loved the country. “When an English woman is pretty, she is prettier than a woman of any nationality”, he wrote. His first UK fashion show was at the Savoy in April 1950, and Princess Margaret wore one of his designs for her 21^st birthday four months later.

Princess Margaret (1930-2002), photo Cecil Beaton (1904-80), London, UK, 1951. © Cecil Beaton, V&A

In his 10 years at the helm of his company, he launched 22 collections, each comprising over 150 looks. He reached out to the public with his own ready-to-wear line, and a wide range of accessories and fragrances, many of which are on show.

V&A Christian Dior Designer of Dreams exhibition Diorama section (c) ADRIEN DIRAND

Fashion advice appeared under his name in magazines: “The greatest simplicity is always the best....” “Nothing is more elegant than a black sweater and skirt worn with a sparkling, many-stoned necklace.” And for the more mature woman: “Your neckline is very important. The V décolleté is most flattering as it makes you look thinner.”

V&A Christian Dior Designer of Dreams exhibition Atelier section (c) ADRIEN DIRAND

A fascinating section of the exhibition is the Atelier, or workshop, where the original toiles - prototypes - of designs are on display. They’re made of white cotton, and carry markings showing the adjustments and alterations needed to turn the designer’s ideas into reality.

V&A Christian Dior Designer of Dreams exhibition The Garden section (c) ADRIEN DIRAND

Dior inherited his mother Madeleine’s passion for gardens. “After women, flowers are the most divine creations,” he wrote. Flowers abound in his work – from single silk flower decorations to abundant prints and intricate embroideries. The designers who followed him after his untimely death in 1957 – Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri –  have carried on the tradition.

In one exquisite gown on display, Chiuri has used layers of cut and dyed feathers (above) to imitate flowers scattered across the bodice and skirt of a gown.

V&A Christian Dior Designer of Dreams exhibition Designers For Dior section (c) ADRIEN DIRAND

The exhibition has devoted a whole section to the work of those who took over Dior’s mantle. Says Oriole Cullen, the museum’s Fashion and Textiles Curator: “The influence of Christian Dior’s design was all-pervasive and helped to define an era. In their own individual ways, each of the House’s successive artistic directors have referenced and reinterpreted Dior’s own designs and continued the legacy of the founder, ensuring that the House of Christian Dior is at the forefront of fashion today.”

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams is at the V&A Sainsbury Gallery, London SW7 2RL until 14 July 2019. Tickets £20 (concessions available).