Fashion fundraiser attracts international stars

Hollywood stars joined top designers and celebrities for one of the biggest events in the fashion calendar.

The V&A Golden Age of Couture Gala, a fundraising event dedicated to fashion at the V&A museum in Kensington, west London, saw tables for 10 priced at £10,000 (€14,419) each.

Prince and Quentin Tarantino led the A-list cast of stars.

They were joined by the likes of Kate Moss, escorted by renowned photographer Mario Testino, and designers John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood.

Other guests included Elizabeth Hurley, actress Thandie Newton, footballer’s wife Alex Curran, retail magnate Philip Green and models Natalia Vodianova and Claudia Schiffer.

Also among the attendees was Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson, who said: “I don’t like the thin thing at all, so it’s nice to come with a few curves to show off, because I do worry about that a lot.”

The actress, once known for her quirky fashion choices, has undergone a stylish transformation in recent years.

She said: “I never used to (be a fan of couture) but I love, love looking at good clothes.”

Wearing a dramatic black dress, she added: “This is Prada but ... it’s incredibly comfortable.”

Welsh designer Julien Macdonald arrived with the opera singer Katherine Jenkins on his arm, having shown his own line at London Fashion Week just days earlier.

Speaking about the theme of the event – couture fashion – he said: “Couture is a dream – every woman wants to be made to look beautiful. The beauty is to have a dress modelled to your body, so you leave the house and you know you look absolutely impeccable.

“That is the beauty of couture and that is why we’re here to celebrate couture at the V&A – at such a glamorous, historical British place.”

British-born Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, said: “Couture is where a designer can express their ultimate fantasy and it isn’t about being commercial or dressing anybody in the street. It’s what moves fashion forward, it’s what makes us dream.”

Last night’s fundraiser celebrated the opening of the V&A’s autumn exhibition, The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957, which runs from Saturday September 22 2007 to Sunday January 6 2008.

The exhibition will look at the work of designers such as Christian Dior during the period when couture – high fashion, custom-fitted designs – was at its height.