Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen Wire: the famous white suit worn by John Travolta in 1977 film Saturday Night Fever has been rediscovered and will be on show at the V&A museum in London from October.

It had been missing after being auctioned at Christie’s in 1995 but the current owner came forward when they heard about the Hollywood Costume exhibition due to open on 20 October.

Here’s some more information from the V&A:

V&A to display unforgettable white Travolta suit this autumn in Hollywood Costume
20 October 2012 – 27 January 2012

The iconic white 3-piece suit worn by John Travolta as Tony Manero on the disco dance floor in the classic 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, has been discovered in London after an international search by the Victoria and Albert Museum. It has now been confirmed to go on display as part of Hollywood Costume, the V&A’s major autumn exhibition.

Senior Guest Curator of Hollywood Costume Deborah Nadoolman Landis set her sights on including the suit for the exhibition in 2008 whilst gathering together memorable costumes from a century of film-making. She discovered that Paramount Pictures had auctioned the suit for charity in 1979 where famous US film critic Gene Siskel had purchased it. At the auction, the suit was inscribed by John Travolta on the interior lining with the words ‘To Gene, so here’s to a classic, your friend, John Travolta.’ After Siskel passed away in 1995, it was then auctioned by Christie’s, after which the trail went cold.

Finally, after a high profile media launch for Hollywood Costume at the V&A in January 2012, Assistant Curator Keith Lodwick received a phone call from the current owner revealing the white suit’s London location and offering it for the exhibition. The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, was the long sought buyer from the 1995 Christie’s auction. After visiting the costume to authenticate it, Lodwick was delighted to discover that it was the original suit and in excellent condition. The white polyester two-button single-breasted suit with wide jacket lapels, matching waistcoat, and 28-inch waist white flared trousers is accompanied by the original black single-cuff shirt with pointed collar. The lining inscription to Gene Siskel is still visible.

Saturday Night Fever is one of the most enduring films of the 1970s and Travolta’s legendary performance as Brooklyn youth Tony Manero is now embedded in international popular culture. Designed by Patrizia Von Brandenstein, the white suit became an emblem for the film and for the disco decade. The film’s director John Badham asked Von Brandenstein to shop locally in Brooklyn for the “perfect” suit for Tony Manero. She remembers throngs of girls screaming outside the shop for Travolta, then the star of a hit US television series, Welcome Back Kotter. As Curator Deborah Nadoolman Landis notes, “Badham, Travolta and Van Brandenstein did not know at the time of filming that this suit would come to define an era.”

Now remembered as one of the most classic costumes in cinema history, Badham and Travolta originally assumed that the suit would be black for the final dance scene, only to be convinced by Von Brandenstein to use white. She had two reasons for insisting on the colour; she felt strongly that white represented Tony Manero’s personal journey from ignorance to enlightenment and it ensured that the suit would reflect the dazzling lighting effects in the dark discotheque.

Patrizia Von Brandenstein commented: “When choosing what goes in to such a major dance costume, I paid attention to the usual factors of cut, “danceability” and maintenance and I thought about the character of Tony Manero. I reasoned that Tony’s position in his traditional Italian-American family (overshadowed by his brother the seminarian, and under valued for his compassion and dancing abilities) is in extreme contrast to his dominant position in the neighbourhood. By virtue of his style, panache, and above all his lithe grace on the dance floor, he is a hero to his local gang, and by extension, to all of us. Heroes from Sir Lancelot to Tom Mix wore white in the great contests to express purity and single-minded devotion to the task at hand. So for me, white was the only choice for the suit. I am grateful that our hero, John Travolta, and our producers also came to see it in this way. I am so thrilled that the suit is included in Hollywood Costume, and hope the public enjoy seeing it on display at the V&A.”

The suit can be seen this autumn alongside more than 100 of the most iconic costumes designed for unforgettable cinema characters over a century of film-making. Hollywood Costume, sponsored by Harry Winston, opens at the V&A on 20 October 2012.

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Dezeen Wire: Microsoft launched a new logo yesterday, its first redesign since 1987 – Reuters

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Dezeen Wire: the Eiffel Tower in Paris is the “most valuable monument in Europe” according to a new study by Italy’s Monza and Brianza Chamber of Commerce – the Telegraph.

Estimated to be worth 435 billion euros (£343 billion) to the French economy, the landmark is six times more valuable than its closest rivals; the Colosseum in Rome valued at 91 billion euros (£72 billion) and the Sagrada Familia Cathedral worth 90 billion euros (£71billion).

Here’s the full list:

1. Eiffel Tower, Paris: £343 billion
2. The Colosseum, Rome: £72 billion
3. The Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Barcelona: £71 billion
4. The Duomo Cathedral, Milan: £65 billion
5. The Tower of London: £56 billion
6. The Prado Museum, Madrid: £46 billion
7. Stonehenge, UK: £8.3 billion

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Dezeen Wire: Sir Terence Conran is launching a competition with the British government to give communities the chance to design housing for their local areas.

The competition will be launched this autumn, with people invited to submit their designs to a panel of judges including Conran and other design industry experts.

The housing minister, Grant Shapps, said there was a need to “get local people onside” to push housing applications through. “By doing this, housebuilders can finally tackle the belief that new-builds are potential ‘homes from hell’, proving the pessimists wrong and clearly demonstrating how well-designed and built their properties really are,” he said.

We recently reported on news that the British government plans to reduce quotas of affordable housing in order to stimulate housebuilding.

See more stories about Sir Terence Conran »

Photograph is by Neil Wilder, John Parkinson Agency.

Here’s the full press release:

Housebuilders challenged to prove the quality of new-build homes

Star of the British design industry Sir Terence Conran is to work with the Government to help create a new competition to give communities a chance to design their own neighbourhoods, Housing Minister Grant Shapps announced today.

It comes as Sir Terence and the Minister call on housebuilders to involve local people as early as possible in the design of new homes – helping to encourage communities to say yes to new housing.

The competition will be launched at a forthcoming summit this Autumn with communities invited to submit their designs for Sir Terence and other design industry stalwarts to judge.

It comes as Mr Shapps lays down the gauntlet to developers to tackle the mistaken belief among too many people that new-build properties are potential ‘homes from hell’.

Designing with local needs in mind

At the forthcoming summit, Sir Terence and Grant Shapps will urge developers to get the public involved in their design process from the very start – ensuring the homes they want and need are built in their area, meeting local demand and making them easier to sell.

But Mr Shapps will argue there is another benefit to community involvement – proving to sceptics that new-build properties are well-built and of good quality design.

The Minister will say that all too often, tales of badly designed ‘homes from hell’ give new developments a bad reputation before they even get off the ground – when in fact many new build homes are at the height of modern design.

Polls have shown that a significant number of prospective buyers believe that new-builds are badly designed and built. And three-quarters of people would embrace more housing in their area if they knew it was better designed.

Mr Shapps will say it is unfair to tar all newly built homes with the same brush, and will call on developers to “prove the pessimists wrong” by taking more responsibility to get local communities back on side.

Grant Shapps said:

“I’m delighted that Sir Terence Conran, a leading light of the design industry, is helping us launch this competition, which will harness the creativity of communities up and down the country as they consider how they want their local areas to look.

“But this is part of a wider point about the need to build more homes, which can’t happen without getting local people onside and turning NIMBYs into YIMBYs (Yes in My Back Yard). To do this, residents must be involved in the design of new developments from the outset – helping to build the homes communities want and need and meeting demand from local buyers.

“And by doing this, housebuilders can finally tackle the belief that new-builds are potential ‘homes from hell’, proving the pessimists wrong and clearly demonstrating how well-designed and built their properties really are.”

Sir Terence Conran said:

“The design of an area has a significant and lasting impact on the quality of life of its residents – it’s therefore vital that local people have a say over how their communities look and feel.

“I want the competition to inspire communities up and down the country to really think about the places in which they want to live, what they want to see and how they can make a difference. I look forward to launching it later this year, and seeing how creative Britain can be.”

The Government is putting the framework in place for developers to engage their neighbours early.

» New local plans, introduced in planning reforms, encourage people’s active involvement in neighbourhood planning.

» The new Community Right to Build allows communities to approve local developments without the need for the normal planning process.

» The Community Infrastructure Levy raises funds from new developments to build the public infrastructure the neighbourhood wants, like park improvements or a new health centre.

» The New Homes Bonus lets communities see the benefits of local growth by rewarding new developments.

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Dezeen Wire: world heritage body UNESCO has called for a crackdown on high-rise development around London’s South Bank, reports the Evening Standard.

The organisation has asked the British government to include it in the decision-making process on any major schemes proposed for the area in order to protect views from the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster.

While UNESCO has no direct power over planning decisions, it can ultimately remove World Heritage status from sites if they are significantly altered by new building developments.

Deputy mayor for planning Sir Edward Lister said the Greater London Authority would “fight” for growth. “We understand their concerns but have to balance them with the demands of an expanding city,” he said. “It’s all about moderation from both sides.”

The South Bank is home to a number of London’s most recognisable landmarks, including the Royal Festival Hall, the London Eye and Renzo Piano’s Shard skyscraper.

See all our stories about London »

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