Discover how fashion in films from the 1930s influenced the world with Dress Historian Amber Butchart.

In this illustrated talk, dress historian Amber Butchart focuses on three cities at a pivotal point in the 1930s when Hollywood costume began to exert its influence on the fashions of Paris and London. Against the economic backdrop of the Great Depression, Hollywood became a crucial marketing tool for American fashion, and costume designers were feted as more influential than Parisian couturiers. The close links between the industries of fashion and film are explored, along with the rivalry between Paris and Hollywood, and screen icons from the decade that continue to influence fashions.

About Amber
Curator, writer and broadcaster, Amber Butchart, specialises in the cultural and political history of textiles and dress. She researches and presents documentaries for television and radio, including the six-part series A Stitch in Time for BBC Four that fused biography, art and the history of fashion to explore the lives of historical figures through the clothes they wore, and she is the history consultant and regular on-screen historian for BBC One's Great British Sewing Bee.

Pre-talk Event Details
Tickets are also available for the Flooded By pre-talk event at the museum. Here you can join the Head of Museum and Collections Gerry Connolly and Amber Butchart as they take a look at selected objects from the Museum collection ahead of Amber's talk in the Connaught Studio. These £13 tickets include a glass of wine or soft drink.

Film - THE WOMEN (U)
We are screening THE WOMEN, starring Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. This film was chosen by Amber Butchart to accompany her talk and illustrate some of the elements she will be discussing. Reduced tickets are available for customers who are seeing Ambers talk.
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