Lego Tourist visits Barnsley Civic

Lego civic — Lego Tourist in The Metropolis

For Lego Tourist’s first assignment as official Home Tourist correspondent we wanted him to visit a lesser discovered part of the region, so we packed him off to the Metropolis of Barnsley.

After much deliberating our eager yellow friend settled on Barnsley Civic for his first adventure, having being tipped off about the Little Black Dress exhibition currently showing. Dapper fellow that he is, Lego Tourist spent so much time seeking out a Lego tux he almost missed it, but fear not the exhibition is running until 20th May so there’s still time for the style -savvy culture vulture to catch a front row seat at this show (he did not however find the elusive Lego tux).

So off he set with his trusty satchel and camera and was immediately transported to the decadent age of the twenties as the emotive tones of Edith Piaf filled the small but perfectly formed gallery. Alongside framed photographs and prints of the original Chanel number that first started the love affair with this fashion staple, were a series of stark white mannequins swathed in chiffon, silk and crinoline.

From Queen Victoria’s bustle to Debbie Harry’s bin liner, every age and every take on fashion’s fall back essential is crammed into this little warren of rooms. For the avid follower of couture culture this exhibition charts more then eight decades of fashion history from the shoulder-pad strewn 1980s to the Hollywood glamour of 1950s movies filtering into the iconic collection of Hubert Givenchy. The relationship between designer, muse and fashion, epitomised by the classic elegance of Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face and Sabrina, is also explored by the show. The screening of every girl’s favourite ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s‘ was a particular favourite with our little Lego friend and had him swooning and steaming up his lens in an off-putting manner!

The exhibition continues to follow the rise and fall of hem lines through the disco, punk, power dressing and punk era, taking in unforgettable fashion statements such as Liz Hurley’s infamous Versace safety pin dress along the way. Bringing this neat little exhibition bang up to date is a runway of 26 dresses from a collection of local, national and international designers.