Noel Coward was a man of his time. Like so many survivors of the Second World War he invented himself, taking advantage of his great gift with words and music to become one of the icons of 20th century comedy. Maugham's interior designs were very much the optimistic style of the day. During the Second World War, in Austria, the Von Trapp family escaped the devastating crunch of German jack boots as they marched through European towns and villages, forcing their will on all who resisted them. Maria, a convent educated young woman, enters the world of Austrian aristocracy in one of life's amazing love stories.
War throws people together in a manner unlike any other.
It blurs the boundaries of birth, forcing people to adjust their vision of a new tomorrow. The homes, the artists, the clothes, the food, the theatre, opera and ballet. Johann Strauss and his invention, the much despised waltz of the commoner was soon to be the dance of 'les elegants' throughout Europe. Throughout this lecture series we have traveled in time to see how effective costumes have been in defining history's personalities. But what of the designer, who, by the magic of their supercharged imaginations and a director's guidance, take us on a journey into other realms.