Best of British
I visited the excellent British Design: 1948-2012 exhibition at the V&A recently.
It's a timely look back at some of the remarkable things that have been created on this island in the past sixty years. With the London Olympics less than one hundred days away there seems no better time to give ourselves a hearty pat on the back and celebrate Britain's contribution to the worlds of fashion, art, graphic design, product design and popular culture.
And while we may bemoan the lack of tickets and the squeeze on public transport for the coming Games, I can guarantee we'll all love it in fifty years time. I was feeling positively jingoistic by the time I left the show; my head spinning with images, see below.
Original posters from the 1951 Festival of Britain
Furniture by Max Clendinning produced for Liberty in 1965
Allen Jones's controversial Chair from 1969
Dress from Horn of Plenty collection by Alexander McQueen in 2009
Radical fashion by Malcom McLaren and Vivienne Westwood in 1976
Tulle dress by Hussein Chalayan in 2011
Magazine Sofa by Michael Young in 1994 and Jack Light by Tom Dixon in 1996