International designer opens Travilla exhibition

Bath and North East Somerset Council is pleased to announce that international designer, David Emanuel, will be opening a new exhibition in Bath later this month. The touring exhibition, Travilla : the man who dressed Marilyn Monroe, is being hosted by Bath & North East Somerset Council at the Assembly Rooms, and will open to the public on Tuesday 29 July and run until Friday 22 August.

 

With a career spanning over forty years and more than 100 credits to his name, William Travilla was one of the most prolific Hollywood designers of the 20th century. He is best known for dressing Marilyn Monroe for eight of her films, and this exhibition showcases five prototypes of these dresses, alongside two dresses designed for Marilyn for personal appearances.

 

Travilla dressed approximately 270 celebrities including Jane Russell, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich. He won an Oscar for dressing Errol Flynn in Don Juan. When the Golden Era of Hollywood ended, he focused on running a thriving couture business alongside work for television epics such as Dallas.

 

David Emanuel is famous for designing elegant clothes for members of the British and European Royal Families and some of the world's most beautiful women. In 1981 came the commission of a lifetime - to co-design the wedding dress for Lady Diana Spencer for her marriage to Prince Charles. An event - and a dress - watched by at least 700 million people worldwide.

 

Both Emanuel and Travilla are most famous for dressing fashion icons of  the 20th century. In the words of one visitor to the show in Brighton: “Fantastic show but makes you feel a little sad that she's not here anymore. Such glamour.”

 

This is a touring exhibition in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society, promoted by Andrew Hansford on behalf of Bill Sarris, owner of the William Travilla collection.

 

Stephen Bird, Head of Heritage Services at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said, “We are delighted to host this exhibition at the Assembly Rooms and particularly pleased that David Emanuel is coming to open it. This is the second externally-organised exhibition that the Assembly Rooms has hosted, following ‘Their Past, Your Future’ in 2005, and is a wonderful way in which the Council can make use of this splendid building for the benefit both of residents and of visitors to the city ”

 

Admission to the exhibition in the Great Octagon is included in the Fashion Museum ticket, which is free to residents of Bath & North East Somerset with a Discovery Card and to National Trust members. The Fashion Museum is open daily 10.30am-6pm, last entry 5.00pm Visit http://www.fashionmuseum.co.uk/ for details.