Crown to Couture

This experience is what re-shaped my approach to Sickle Style. Initially, I wanted to just focus on my styling process/philosophy. And though that's still present, after going to this exhibition that changed. I remember sitting down with my mum telling her how I believed God was calling it to be a bit more than that.

You see, for the longest time, my greatest aspiration in life was to become the Editor-in-Chief of my own magazine. Watching shows like ‘Ugly Betty’ and movies like ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ reinforced this and coupled with my love for writing and fashion, I believed it was the perfect career choice.

Though that's not the path God has led me down (on a formal basis), things came full circle on that cloudy day in September because I had taken stock of the variety of exhibitions I'd been to within the year and thought - hmm, what if 'Sickle Style' became my zine - a space where I could share not only my love for fashion but cultural experiences as well. And so, I am so grateful that we went to this exhibition cause I left feeling very inspired and we both had an incredible time! 

I thought it was really clever how they linked red carpet fashion to the Georgian court fashion because the similarities highlighted are ones I never would've imagined would exist! 

"The exhibition drew fascinating parallels between the world of today’s red carpet and the Georgian Royal Court in the 18th century." - Historic Royal Palaces 

There were so many gowns, beautiful gowns  (word to Aretha Franklin) and there was a lot of thought that was put in to the entire layout of the exhibition. From an entire room dedicated to honouring the illustrious work of stylists to the incorporation of sustainable fashion insights - the exhibition was super intentional in capturing the role fashion has as a unique means of communicating a range of thoughts and ideas. I'm so glad I went with my mum because honestly, she's always been a huge inspiration to me when it comes to fashion. She is my ultimate style icon and will forever be because bruh, she just has that eyeeee and knows how to piece things together in a way that always makes her stand out! 

R.I.P 🕊

I also loved seeing some iconic red carpet looks in person from Blake Lively's 2022 MET Gala dress to a gorgeous Giambattista Valli gown that gave all the dramuhhh - I was simply in awe not just at how glamorous it all felt and looked but at the amount of work that goes into creating these moments! The craftsmanship, the artistic approach - ugh, I have so much respect for designers mehn, KUDOS fr! 

S I C K L E S E C R E T S

This exhibition impressed me SO much because not only did they have seating dotted around but there were lifts as well!!! How mobility-friendly? However, I must say that because it was displayed within Kensington Palace's State Apartments, it required a lot of walking from one room to the next and so the flow did feel a bit awkward and stuffy at times. It also took a while to get through it all but perhaps that's because it was a Saturday and a lot of people had the same idea to go. 

Overall, I'd say this exhibition was a good 6.5/10 in terms of mobility. With a few more seating options it could have been rated higher but I mean, it eez what it eez.