The Dance of Inspiration...

Darling Emily,

This past week has been a bit of a pea-soup for me book-hatching-wise. Piles of notes scribbled randomly whilst I'm reading at the Bookroom, had to be collated sometime. A chore that needed catching up on- and whilst I was doing it- my task suddenly seemed endless. Everything I'm reading is fascinating, and gives me more insight into just where Dodgson sat in the scheme of things. The scheme of things has rather taken over lately, with a soujourn first into the immediate decades prior to the 1860's ( the critical period for my purposes ) so I got a sense of where they'd just 'been' so to speak. Then, as Tennyson and his Circle seem to me to be avantgarde catalysts for what came after, and following the Pre-Raph exhibition you went to- I'm knee deep in the late Victorian 'Back to the Land' movement. Interesting how the last time this held popular court was in the 70's and 80's- post uncertain economic times, and again it re-guises strongly now...

Anyhow I digress. Fascinating though this all is, and collating is as collating does- my concern this week has been that it feels as though I could go on researching... for ever... but that doeth not me-book make. Hmmph.

Writers-doubt rather than writers-block abounded. I get an email from a lovely lady who is writing a book herself. It is about my old Boss, Mr Galliano. Dana, the lovely lady has been here before to interview me about my time working with John, and following a bit of time-honoured fashion-biz reticence about telling her stuff; I realised through talking with her, exactly who she was and where she was coming from. We got on very well and it was interesting how much is there, stored in the memory bank.

That's your Grand-mother below-left with Mr Galliano after his first ever show, when we were literally swamped with orders, though all the clothes were still on their way back from the show- we took orders from drawings. It was rather crazy.

I LOVED working for John, I didn't know just how good he was until years later when I began Weardowney, and expected everyone could do music like Jeremy Healey. All students could create the way we created. All shows were as exciting...

My treasure, was that I got to climb inside his head. I had to- knitwear needed to pre-empt the rest of the collection. So I had to 'feel' where we were going and come up with stuff before Maestro and work it in seamlessly. I got quite good at it though I say it myself.

But, back to Dana Thomas and her book about Mr Galliano.


Dana's previous book 'Deluxe-How luxury lost its lustre'  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deluxe-How-Luxury-Lost Lustre/dp/0141019670/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1 is a pull no punches, well researched insight into the Corporation of Fashion. This new book is set to tell it how it is. And what an Enigma with an unfinished drama to explore the unhappy marriage of corporate and creative through!

This time round, Dana and I sat and talked in the new 'Mad-Hatter Tea-Room' at Dimbola. Churning through the memories, I realise I'm now sitting amongst a different Geisha. I've swapped Fashion for this.

But, how they intersect. Dana inscribed her book to me as 'To Gail, who knows the secrets and the truth'.

The similarities struck us both. Dana is investigating people who are ( mostly ) still alive, in order to unravel the journey of her subject. My advice has always been to her that she needs to look at the work- it is all there.

I'm 'investigating' Dead People. But it's the same. It was Dodgson's work that I read, it gave me my insight...

And that dearest Em, is where I am back to. Alice Through The Looking Glass, was a satire on the Freshwater Circle. I had my clues, now they are bearing out in other's words...

Inspiration back on track, book back to hatching. Artists, writers, musicians et-all, cannot tell a lie in their work...

Your ever-loving Grand-mother,

GiGi xxx