6 Must-See Highlights From DIVA At The V&A
In a glittering exploration of the world’s most iconic performers, DIVA has helped to reclaim what it really means to be a ‘diva’ today. Here, curator KATE BAILEY discusses the exhibition’s biggest talking-point displays with CHLOE STREET
“I’m hoping visitors will be empowered and inspired by these stories of individuals who followed their own paths and weren’t afraid to be trailblazers, to make change, to question the status quo,” says Kate Bailey, curator of DIVA, an exhibition now open at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum that focuses on celebrating the world’s most iconic performers, and is supported by NET-A-PORTER. “Divas who had the courage to express themselves in ways that felt true and necessary to them – whether through performance, art, style or stage costume,” she adds.
Taking visitors on a journey through two centuries in three acts, the exhibition, which runs until April 7, 2024, has some truly sublime fashion on display. Among the 60 looks – many of which are incredibly rare or on public display for the first time – are pieces from the wardrobes of everyone from Bette Midler and Beyoncé to Shirley Bassey and Lil Nas X. From the costumes of Victorian opera singers and mid-century showgirls, through to Edith Piaf’s instantly recognizable little black dress and Janelle Monáe’s experimental ‘vulva pants,’ this is a show fashion fans won’t want to miss. Read on to discover six must-see DIVA highlights…
The fringed black dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot (1959)
“Marilyn Monroe was an incredible performer who redefined the word ‘diva’, and inspired and influenced future generations of artists,” says Bailey, who chose to include a fringed black dress Monroe wore as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk in Some Like It Hot – a role Monroe was initially resistant to take, fearing it played into the ‘dumb blonde’ typecasting she had been keen to escape. The dress is part of the V&A’s permanent collection of Hollywood movie costumes, and is tight, black, shiny and fringed – all elements engineered to make the most of her famous figure, which remained a huge selling point for the studios. “This is perhaps Marilyn at her peak,” Bailey tells PORTER. “[It was] a performance that made the most of her natural comic timing and earned her a Golden Globe nomination.”
A stage ensemble worn by Maria Callas in a 1952 production of Norma
For many, Maria Callas remains the ultimate opera diva, and closing the first half of the exhibition are two of her most important costumes. This blue, classical dress is from Callas’ debut London role, as the title lead in a production of Norma at the Royal Opera House in 1952. Conversely, it is shown alongside the costume she wore to end her stage career, as Floria in Tosca, also at the Royal Opera House, in 1965.
“At her core, this was a woman who had a word-class voice and a talent for performance,” says Bailey. “Added to this, we have her iconic look, the media and public fascination with her private life, her ambition and absolute dedication to her craft, her pursuit of perfection and her famous temperament, as well as her personal struggles and a need for validation and acceptance in the face of hostility and scrutiny. [Her] fanbase would rival any modern pop star’s fanbase for dedication and loyalty.”
Rihanna’s 2018 Met Gala papal ensemble, designed by John Galliano for Maison Margiela
Over the years, Rihanna has cemented her reputation as the high priestess of Met Gala fashion, and never was this more apparent than in 2018, when she arrived at the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination-titled event dressed as a high-fashion pope. The jewel-encrusted robe and matching mitre designed by John Galliano for Maison Margiela is a must-see at DIVA, and a look that underscores Rihanna’s ability to shapeshift her own personal image, influencing style and popular culture along the way. The papal ensemble sits alongside four other Rihanna looks (marking the first time all five have been shown together), including the ‘naked’ dress RiRi wore to the CFDA Awards in 2014, which was designed by Adam Selman and accented with more than 200,000 Swarovski crystals, plus this year’s Oscars’ Alaïa ensemble, featuring mesh cutouts over her pregnancy bump.
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“Rihanna is a multifaceted, independent performer who has used her strong sense of self to shift the needle,” says Bailey. “She embodies the spirit of the 19th-century divas and shows us today how divas don’t just create art – they are culture-makers, entrepreneurs and activists.”
Costume worn by Sir Elton John for his 50th birthday celebration, 1997
Sir Elton John has reshaped the craft of pop culture with his unforgettable songs and his extravagant, flamboyant style. And never were his fashion choices more outlandish than at his 50th birthday, when he arrived at the Hammersmith Palais wearing a Louis XIV-inspired costume so vast he had to be transported there in a lorry.
On loan from the singer’s personal archive, the twinkling, silvery ensemble was designed by British costumier Sandy Powell, and comes with a voluminous powdered wig (complete with a mechanized galleon that shoots out puffs of smoke), plus a feathered cape and 15ft train. “He had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted, which was [a look] inspired by the decadence of the French court during the 18th century, prior to the revolution,” Powell tells PORTER. “I knew that everything about it had to be exaggerated, so I had to figure out a way to make it as comfortable as possible. The cloak was thus crafted from a lightweight fabric covered in feather boas and Christmas-tree tinsel to give it volume but keep it wearable.”
For Powell, John personifies the very essence of DIVA: “He’s an unparalleled performer at the top of his game, knows exactly what he wants, and, very importantly, knows how to inhabit a costume. Costumes do not work on their own – they are brought to life by the person wearing them.”
The Marc Bouwer dress Whitney Houston wore to receive three Grammys in 1994
Some people have items of clothing they believe bring them good luck, and should pop diva Whitney Houston have been similarly superstitious, this dress would surely be her most charmed – the night she wore it, she won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for I Will Always Love You.
Made of black stretch-jersey fabric adorned with hundreds of multicolored rhinestones and beads, the dress was designed by Marc Bouwer, whom Houston worked with to design her stage and red-carpet looks for more than two decades. Bouwer had, in fact, originally designed the piece for a concert Houston gave in South Africa. “I only found out about her wearing it to the Grammys when I saw her run on the stage to grab her first award that evening – it was quite exciting to watch in real time,” the New York-based designer tells PORTER.
Bouwer crafted the piece from black bathing-suit fabric, printed with a gold motif. “I then hand-embellished it with Swarovski crystals,” he says. “Whitney loved stretch and I was one of the few designers working in stretch fabric; I was always looking for new stretch fabrics and ways to use them – it was both Whitney’s and my favorite silhouette: body-fitted, with a high, tight neck.”
Tina Turner’s Bob Mackie-designed ‘flame’ dress, worn in 1978
“We wanted to celebrate the relationships between designer and diva, and who better to showcase this unique partnership than Bob Mackie, who has been dressing the biggest divas on earth for decades?” says Bailey, who chose to make several iconic Mackie designs worn by Cher and Tina Turner the central focus of the second half of the exhibition. “It would be difficult to narrow his impact down, as he really has done so much in terms of defining the look of the contemporary pop diva.”
The flame-inspired dress Tina Turner wore at a concert in 1978 is a highlight. Turner rocked the dress, which was designed to “sparkle like dynamite” when its sequins caught the light, with a shroud of feathers for a look that maxed out on drama. Fellow diva Beyoncé later rocked the dress for a 2005 performance at the Annual Kennedy Center Honors, cementing this piece’s fiery reputation. “It has been a definitive diva look for so many and continues to inspire artists and designers to this day,” says Bailey. “You can see its influence everywhere – Lizzo even wore a similar look for her performance on the main stage at Glastonbury this year.”
As a company dedicated to empowering and celebrating Incredible Women, NET-A-PORTER is proud to partner with the V&A in supporting the DIVA exhibition. DIVA is on now until April 7 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, London
The people featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown