New series of books published by Conran Octopus in partnership with the Design Museum, London

This new series of books published by Conran Octopus in partnership with the Design Museum is really good.
Each book lists the top 50 products that have made a substantial impact in the world of British design today, offering a short appraisal of each that explores what has made their iconic status and the designers that give them a special place in design history.

An essential piece of clothing in every woman’s closet, Fifty Dresses That Changed The World includes timeless dresses from the 1915 Delphos Pleated dress to Hussein Chalayan’s 2007 LED dress. The collection of iconic dresses in this book provides an introduction to the path fashion has taken in the last century. It is a story that takes in social and economic change and radically fluctuating positions on gender and sexuality. These are dresses that have encapsulated particular moments in time in a particularly powerful way, and that have provided fascinating insights into the people who wore them as well as the people who designed and made them.
A must-have accessory for all shoe lovers and design enthusiasts, Fifty Shoes That Changed The World includes everything from the 1863 Frye boot to Zaha Hadid’s 2009 Lacoste shoe. The shoe clearly exerts a fascination on people’s imagination. In 20 years of temporary exhibitions at the Design Museum, the retrospective staged in 2003 on Manolo Blahnik at the height of the Sex in the City phenomenon, still holds the record as the most popular exhibition that they have ever done. This selection of fifty designs explores the full range of shoe design. They can address comfort, or self image, fashion or technology.

Other books in the new series publishing October 2009 include Fifty Cars That Changed The World and Fifty Chairs That Changed The World.
More information on: http://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/ and http://www.designmuseum.org/

Hussein Chalayan at the Design Museum in London

Exhibition at the Design Museum in London : 22 January – 17 May

Leading the forefront of contemporary fashion design, the twice named 'British Designer of the Year,' Hussein Chalayan, is renowned for his innovative use of materials, meticulous pattern cutting and progressive attitudes to new technology.

The exhibition at the Design Museum in London is the first comprehensive presentation of Hussein Chalayan’s work in the UK. Spanning fifteen years of experimental projects, the exhibition explores Hussein Chalayan's creative approach, his inspirations and the many themes which influence his work such as cultural identity, displacement and migration.

Exhibits include ‘Afterwords’ which explores the notion of ‘wearable, portable architecture’ in which furniture literally transforms itself into garments; ‘Airborne’ bringing the latest LED technology to fashion design with a spectacular dress consisting of Swarovski crystals and over 15,000 flickering LED lights; ‘Before Minus Now’ a dress made of materials used in aircraft construction which changes shape by remote control and ‘Readings’ a dress comprising of over 200 moving lasers presenting an extraordinary spectacle of light

To learn more: http://www.designmuseum.org/