Horst P. Horst Review

Horst P Horst Review at V&A, London.

‘Fashion is an expression of the times. Elegance is something else again.’ 

Horst, 1984

Being famous for his work with fashion and the human body, Horst P Horst was a German-American fashion photographer. Horst’s created images I absolutely loved gracing the publications of the respected Vogue and House of Garden. 

Mainbocher Corset being his most famous and my favourite piece of his work, capturing the elegance and curves of the female figure. To Horst, the human figure, both male and female was more than just a body it was seen as a sculpture of beauty, in which he portrayed through out the show with his graceful models being captured with ultimate delicacy. 

I did form a relationship between Horst’s work and the show, however I didn't feel excited in the show like I have others, the dim lights and dark walls creating a relaxing feel for me which personally I don't think you should feel during a show. It was amazing how it was like going on a time machine of Horst’s work it not only captures his spectacular view of the human form, surrealism but also his travels and his imaginative use of patterns.

For me, the most exciting part of the show was how the show featured high-end designer clothes such as Elsa Schiaparelli, encouraged the audience to picture themselves at the shoot with Horst himself. It was so exciting to see the clothes in real form, seeing the fabrics, I just wanted to touch them.

The show, for which I was very grateful, did not just stick to Horst’s photography. Including a video of a young Horst on a shoot enabled me to feel as if I knew Horst, breaking up the show, keeping me interested in what I will see next.

I have become more intrigued by Horst’s work however that was because I enjoyed his actual work - not necessarily because the show did his work justice. In some areas, I was suffocated with the amount of work that was featured in the show and actually less of his work would have encouraged me to study his work in closer depth - However Horst’s immaculate work did make every movement around the show more interesting.

Mainbocher Corset - image from the V&A website