IAN SWANKIE

Elsa Schiaparelli is seen as the undisputed queen of fashion of the Roaring Twenties and her artistic collaborations with many of the surrealist artists of the day, such as Dalí, Cocteau and Giacometti, were groundbreaking. Hats like lamb cutlets or high heeled shoes, pockets like drawers, buttons like lips and eyes, gloves with red python nails and the legendary dresses including the iconic lobster dress as worn by Wallis Simpson for Vogue. Schiaparelli wanted to shock, and she did! If you haven't seen the current Schiaparelli exhibition at the V&A, then you still have just enough time. It finishes on 8 November.

Alexandra Epps

Alexandra is well know to our group as a knowlegeble and enthusisastic speaker. She's been many times before. Her background is in graphic design and she ran her own design consultancy for many years. She's also a qualified guide in the City of London where she now lives. Alex has a BA from St Martins School of Art and an MA from the London College of Printing. She's an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society.