Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World

I have had a day trip to London - quite an event as I haven't been more than 40 miles from home since February! The reason for this jaunt was to see Cecil Beaton's Fashionable World at the National Portrait Gallery, and it did not disappoint.

Setting the scene

The exhibition covers Beaton's life from his early photography to his work designing costumes for the stage and film versions of My Fair Lady. Initially, he photographed family and friends.

Barbara Beaton, c1925

As well as photographs, there are a number of his illustrations.

The Charm of Paris (Gaby Deslys) c1929

His first fashion work for Vogue came in 1927.

Outside Claridge's Hotel

Even as his reputation grew, he continued using the basic camera that he was given at the age of 12 for a surprisingly long time. What made his name initially seems to have been less technical skill and more his compositions and use of unusual props and backgrounds.

Beaton's Kodak 3A folding camera

Princess Emeline de Broglie in raincoat and hat, 1928

Society portraits from, L to R, 1932, 1929 and 1928

The 1930s saw a move to more surrealist images, albeit with a playful slant.

Mona Williams, 1936

Hats are High, 1936

Coats by Charles James, 1936

Although he could still, knowingly, refer back to the illustration styles of the Edwardian era.

Hand-tinted print, 1937

He also spent time in America, where he photographed a number of Hollywood stars.

Karen Morley, 1932

Despite his extensive work for both the American and British issues of Vogue, he designed relatively few covers. In part this was because he found colour photography tricky and also because, as the exhibition notes tactfully put it, he was "resistant to the art director's brief". The exhibition includes a full set of his covers, both photographed and drawn.

American Vogue covers, 1935 and 1936

Mildred Morton on the cover of British Vogue, 1948

1939 saw Beaton switch to war photography, although one of his best known images from the time mixes war and fashion.

Fashion is Indestructible, 1941

The same combination occurs in this immediately post-war shot of Balmain clothing in Paris.

Wool coat and trousers, 1945

Beaton himself admitted that "I started out with very little talent, but a lot of strong ambition", and this does seem to have prompted fallings out with a number of people over the course of his life. Greta Garbo was allegedly furious when the images from what she believed to be a private shoot were sent to Vogue.

Greta Garbo, 1946

Post-war, Beaton applied himself to mastering colour photography.

The Second Age of Beauty is Glamour, 1946

Late Day Richness, 1948

But it's hardly surprising that someone whose compositions were so theatrical should also get involved in costume design. He designed the costumes for the London production of My Fair Lady, starring Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle.

Julie Andrews, dress for the Embassy Ball scene

And then worked on the film version, with Audrey Hepburn.

Publicity still

Beaton with Audrey Hepburn, 1963

This post only shows a fraction of the material in the exhibition, which runs until 11 January 2026. It is a long way from being the grittiest exhibition I've ever been to, and at least one reviewer has criticised it for this. However, I'm not entirely sure what else they expected from an exhibition which begins with the Bright Young Things of the 1920s and ends with a film which is all about artifice. I for one was happy to be immersed in that world for a day.