The Concise Dictionary of Dress

I managed to catch this exhibition on its last day, and it was a truly magical experience. Held at Blythe House in Kensington, where the V&A keeps its vast archive, you are given an insight into a building not usually accessible to the public. The fact that you had to leave all your belongings in the reception, be given a photo ID, and have to be guided by a 'chauffeur' who opened locked doors in the maze of the building and who wasn't allowed to speak to you apart from handing you cards for each exhibit, just added to this unique experience.

I love archives, collections, boxes and libraries, and you were able to catch glimpses of 'sleeping' objects from the past, labelled and catalogued and stored in temperature-controlled units. My favourite moment was the opening of one of the huge lockers to reveal a beautiful wax wall embossed with imprints of the hanging garments (yet the garments were completely clean), and I loved the semi-translucent resin sculpture on the roof.

All images are from jotta magazine - the only place I could find decent photographs, which adds to the whole mystery of the event!