As part of the 40th anniversary of Punk descending upon the streets of London, photographer Richard Young is opening the doors of his gallery to give an insiders look at the era of Punk.

The Anarchy in the UK: #PUNKLONDON exhibition, forms a part of the year long programme of Punk.London – 40 Years of Subversive Culture events.

If you are looking for a little culture to check out this weekend, or over the coming weeks, there is still time to dip into this personal retrospective of images cataloguing the Punk period.

 A joint exhibition in LA between two of it's biggest museums, is home to the biggest retrospective of renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. From his iconic portraits of best friend Patti Smith, to Mapplethorpe's insightful self portraits to his radical journey through the underground sex scene of New York in the 80s.

Away from the controversies of the time and the political outrage at a gay artist's sexualised work, today, these exhibitions give us a chance to really view Mapplethorpe's ability as a photographer. The fine detail, the delicate yet stark lighting and the photographic composition.

If you are looking for something to do this weekend, or over the coming few weeks, head to the National Portrait Gallery to immerse yourself in a century's worth of ground breaking fashion photography.

Celebrating the centenary of Vogue, this in depth exhibition at the NPG chronicles the history of the worlds most influential fashion magazine. Vogue 100: A Century of Style takes us on a journey from the present day, all the back back to Vogue's very first publication in 1916.

The most popular paid museum exhibition has finally closed its doors. Alexander Mc Queen: Savage Beauty was the V&A'S biggest and most in demand exhibit, even having to open it's doors through the night to keep up with demand.

And for those of us who are sad it's over or for those of you who didn't get to make it along, the V&A museum has put together some behind the scenes footage, along with some pretty impressive stats. The first and largest retrospective of McQueen's work to take place in Europe was certainly a success.
www.NAVYLondon.com
xoxo

Looking for something to occupy yourself between shows at London Fashion Week? There is still time to pop along to the Guy Bourdin: Image Maker exhibition and grab an insight into some of fashion photography's most iconic images.

Conveniently housed right in the heart of LFW at Somerset House, you can easily drop by and immerse yourself in the surreal, the colourful and the provocative world of Guy Bourdin.


The largest exhibition of Bourdin's work ever held in the UK, it is the perfect opportunity to witness some of his most famous images alongside the lesser know work of his 40 year career as a top fashion photographer.

Viewing this retrospective of Boudin's photography as a whole, you can't avoid the sense of quite how innovative and boundary pushing his work truly was. Especially when considering that much of this work comes from the late 70s. When publishing abstract and sexually provocative fashion photography as part of high profile campaigns or even amongst the pages of Vogue was uncommon and controversial.

Be sure to immerse yourself in the 360° cinema of Boudin's bold fashion films from the same era. A new and unheard of medium for fashion imagery at the time, capturing the glamourous femme fatales so iconic within Guy Bourdin's but in a whole new light.

If you're not in London for LFW, don't worry. Guy Bourdin: Image Maker is on until March 15th so you can still stop by even after the buzz of fashion week has passed.


Guy Bourdin: Image Maker
On until 15th March
Embankment Galleries, South Wing
Somerset House, London

www.NAVYLondon.com
xoxo

Alongside each huge image, are short anecdotes and tales of the New Wave era explaining a little background information about the snapshot in time as captured by Stein. His character, personality and passion showing through.

Stein managed to capture candid portraits of many icons as well as Blondie within the music and art world of the punk era, including Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Ramones, Andy Warhol and more. This exhibition offers an insight into the fashions, attitudes and innocence of the time and is well worth stopping by before it closes on January 25th. Entry is free too, so you have no excuse not to pop along and marvel at the pink ceilings, huge framed photographs and generally just admire a bit of Debbie Harry at her very best.





Chris Stein / Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk
On until 25th January
East Wing Galleries
Somerset House, London

www.NAVYLondon.com
xoxo

The original Madonna will forever be the best in our eyes. Back in the early 80s with the release of her debut album, Madonna's style was groundbreaking and edgy. A point where fashion, art and music was colliding in a big way for the first time.

Just before the release of her first album in 1983, photographer Richard Corman joined up with Madonna to capture the spirit of her rebellious energy. The images taken with the East Village of NYC in the background have become some of the most iconic images of Madonna from this period.

An exhibition at The Milk Gallery in New York are just about to open an exhibition of Corman's work and it is a refreshing showcase of the determined young woman on the cusp of carving out her own place in the music industry.
Catch the month long exhibition for a candid insight into the young star including some awesome contact sheets of images capturing the restless energy of Madonna at her best.

Madonna NYC83
The Milk Gallery
450 W 15th St, New York
15th Nov - 15th Dec

www.NAVYLondon.com
xoxo

A collection of captivating self-portraits taken by Stevie Nicks in the mid-seventies have gone on show in New York. Taken on the road, at night, when feeing lonely and suffering from insomnia, these self-portraits are much more than just 'selfies'.

Elaborate compositions, flamboyant fashion and dreamy lighting make these much more of an artistic project of self expression. Something more in line with Cindy Sherman than Kim Kardashian.

"Some people don't sleep at night - I am one of those people. These pictures were taken long after everyone had gone to bed - I would begin after midnight and go until 4 or 5 in the morning. I stopped at sunrise - like a vampire... I never really thought anyone would ever see these pictures, they went into shoeboxes, where they remained. I did everything - I was the stylist, the makeup artist, the furniture mover, the lighting director. It was my joy - I was the model..." - Stevie Nicks

The polaroids, which lay forgotten about in a box until recently, have been reproduced especially for the exhibition, curated by Eurythmics guitarist Dave Stewart. Uncovered only whilst Stewart and Nicks collaborated on a new album of songs written during the same period but only recorded very recently.

The album and the exhibition go hand in hand in many ways. We're sure it would even be a great soundtrack when viewing the exhibition to get the full Stevie experience.

Stevie Nicks - 21 Karat Gold
Morrison Hotel Gallery SoHo, NYC 
October 12th - 31st, 2014 

www.NAVYLondon.com
xoxo

Often, when you attend a fashion exhibition, whilst the detail of the clothes can be impressive, they can look lifeless hanging on a still mannequin.

This is by no means the case for the magnificent collection of garments on display at the Barbican current exhibition, ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier For the Sidewalk to the Catwalk’. The moment you enter the gallery space, you are confronted by music, video, speeches, movement, drawings and wonderful printed photographs hanging around the rooms. The mannequins themselves are brought to life by some clever projections, music and even soothing choir voices. Whilst, I admit, this can be a little spooky at first, it is mesmerising! Bringing the clothes to life and enhancing the experience
Taking you through the life of Gaultier, from his childhood, understanding where his fashion and eye for style developed, through to the current day. Stopping along the way to admire some key moments in Gaultier’s career and moments which changed the whole industry. This exhibition is not only an insight into the three decades of Gaultier and his career, but also an insight into the changing fashion, trends and boundaries of what constitutes as style over the last 30 years.
With such dramatically lit couture garments within arms reach, it is also great to see them in the context of their original catwalk show or fashion shoot. Screens around the mannequins show some of the worlds most famous supermodels strutting each piece down the catwalk on a loop. Huge framed photographs by some of the worlds most critically acclaimed photographers, including Steven Meisel and Herb Ritts, show the editorials which in these beautiful creations were first shown to the world.
We think this exhibition is a must see! Whether you are London based or planning a trip to the city over the summer, head to the Barbican Art Gallery before August 25th to catch it. For those who love fashion, those who love textiles, for those who love photography or even just those who love celebrity culture. This exhibition has it all.
Plus, who is really going to miss an opportunity to see Madonna’s infamous cone bar in person!

www.NAVYLondon.com
xoxo