Inside Vogue Club’s After-Hours Tour of ‘Naomi: In Fashion’ At The V&A

On Tuesday evening, Vogue Club hosted an exclusive after-hours viewing of Naomi: In Fashion at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

As security shepherded the public out of the main entrance, the museum was stealthily coming to life again beyond its Renaissance-style arches. Beneath the soaring ceilings of the central dome, final preparations were being made to welcome a crowd of over 200 Vogue Club members, along with Vogue staff. (Vogue Club operates as a private community to bring fashion lovers and enthusiasts together with designers and industry professionals.)

Despite the threat of showers spurred on by the recent heat wave (hot summer nights, mid-July, anyone?), the excitement of groups making a beeline for the V&A through South Kensington’s streets was palpable. The cause of the fervour? The lure of getting free rein to explore the limited-run, blockbuster retrospective Naomi: In Fashion – without the throngs.

As doors opened and guests trickled in, one thing was notable: the dress code for the evening – Naomi, naturally – was indubitably adhered to, with the outfits on show a stunning testament to the creativity of members who, drawing inspiration from Campbell’s storied runway career, sashayed across marble floors in gowns and looks that paid homage to her incomparable decades of modelling success (sipping citrus- and mint-flavoured drinks all the while).

As the evening progressed, chatter from Club members new and old drowned out any sounds of the capricious London weather. When Vogue’s European features director (and Club’s senior fashion projects editor) Julia Hobbs took to the mic for opening remarks, the drum of the crowd beneath the dome’s rotunda chandelier subsided.

“I want to welcome you all here tonight for a viewing of Naomi: in Fashion,” Hobbs said. “We have been working on this event for more than six months – planning everything down to a tee.” Hobbs, who spoke to Campbell for British Vogue’s March issue in advance of the exhibition’s summer opening, told a story about being caught off-guard when Campbell called her for the piece: “I got to Pret on a rainy Tuesday and my phone rings, and I say: ‘It’s Naomi, isn’t it?’ and she responds: ‘Yes it is – hello Julia.’ I was like: ‘You’ve ruyng me when I haven’t got any of my recording equipment!’” Hobbs then detailed scrambling back to Vogue’s HQ to document the interview properly.

Members then entered the exhibition to explore the supermodel’s most-treasured – and timeless – pieces. Starting with Campbell’s childhood documents and dreams, the exhibition journeys through her being discovered in Covent Garden and on to her activism for greater diversity in the fashion industry, taking us right up to her modern-day support of emerging designers.

For some, a standout moment was the Dolce & Gabbana dress Naomi wore when serving her highly publicised period of court-ordered community service. For others, it was her time covering the 2007 “Black issue” of Vogue Italia, where she called for greater diversity on the catwalk.

Finally, the installation allowed Club members to envision walking the runway themselves as a kind of final tribute – and an opportunity to embody the life and looks of one of the world’s most recognisable supermodels.

See some of the best photos from the night below.