V&A's Museum of Childhood to mark Alice in Wonderland anniversary with new fashion exhibition

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Feb 5, 2015

This year marks 150 years since Lewis Carroll's classic children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first published. The book has delighted generations of children and adults, and inspired many fashion shoots and collections - photographer Tim Walker says "every girl or boy I photograph is Alice."

What's more fitting, then, than an exhibition that looks at how Alice has always embraced contemporary style and influenced the way people dress? "The Alice Look" opens at the Museum of Childhood on May 2 and uses garments, photographs, rare editions and illustrations to show Alice as both a follower of fashion and a trendsetter.

An exciting new commission by Josie Smith, pattern-cutter for Roksanda Ilincic, has been created for the show: a 3-D version of Alice's clothes, made using fabric printed with text from the book.

The exhibition will be divided into four parts: "Beginnings", "Follower of Fashions", "Inspiration" and "Global Alice". It will also feature photographs by Annie Leibovitz, Japanese Lolita clothing and book cover designs by Vivienne Westwood.

"The Alice Look" is on from May 2 to November 1.