Valentino Master of Couture Exhibition

Source: Le Petite Anglaise

The trend of fashion exhibitions is growing bigger and bigger and we have finally awaited a true master to display his creations for the general public - Valentino, the Master of Couture.

The exhibition at the Somerset House (London) opened today, November 29, and will go on until 3 March, 2013. It celebrates the life and work of Valentino, showcasing over 120 haute couture designs worn by icons such as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren and Gwyneth Paltrow. A fashion exhibition not to be missed. More info at Somerset House.

Lita Cabellut exhibition in London

Spanish born artist Lita Cabellut returns to London to exhibit her latest collection of works. Utilising her signature style (reflecting human emotion through the strokes on the canvas), Cabellut dramatically depicts some of the most influential icons of knowledge from the past 150 years. Ranging from Stravinsky, Nureyev, Marie Curie, Billy Holiday, Garcia Lorca, Rudolf Steiner to Sigmund Freud. Lita's ever communicative and recognizable style - known as the 'Cabellut palette' - ensures that these portraits will once again represent the beholder with: 'A voyage through the eyes of the figure' Robert C. Morgan.

Her exhibition opens on the 12th of October at Opera Gallery London.

Queen's private diamond collection to go on display in London

The Queen's private diamond collection is to go on display at Buckingham Palace, in what is seen as another marker to her diamond jubilee.

More than 10,000 diamonds will be on show this week to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne, culminating in a star studded collection of priceless heirlooms that have been accumulated over her reign.

The exhibition is running from June 30 up until July 8, and then again from July 31 up until October 7, showing pieces of her priceless collection that she has worn in Britain and on tour abroad.

Some of the most famous pieces include Queen Victoria’s small diamond crown which, despite its size, features more than 1,100 diamonds.

A gemstone that was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and was so large that a clerk working at the mine initially threw it away, assuming it was a worthless crystal. An easy mistake to make, of course.

Eventually, though, the stone weighing 3,106 carats in its rough state was presented to King Edward VII who decided to have it cut and polished.

It produced nine principal stones and 96 small brilliant diamonds. The two main gems, the largest colorless and flawless cut diamonds in the world, were set in the Sovereign’s Scepter and Imperial State Crown.

More recently, Queen Elizabeth was gifted the Williamson Diamond in 1947 by Canadian geologist and royalist John Thorburn Williamson, and it is considered the finest pink diamond ever discovered.

For more information on the exhibition, please visit http://www.royalcollection.org/