With women’s fashion often taking centre stage, particularly in the context of a gallery or exhibition, an exciting new exhibition has hot-footed its way to South Kensington’s V&A. Marking the cultural icon’s first major exploration of menswear, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear considers the power, artistry and diversity of masculine attire. With artefacts and iconic creations from centuries ago to the modern day, the show traces how menswear has been fashioned and refashioned. In addition, how fashion artisans, designers and tailors have in turn constructed and performed masculinity.
Approximately 100 looks and artworks will form the show, exhibited thematically across three galleries, including the finale. For the first time in the gallery’s history, contemporary menswear by legendary designers and newcomers will be positioned aside historical treasures from the V&A’s archives, collections and landmark loans. Think Renaissance paintings against designs from Gucci, Harris Reed and Raf Simons, and iconic photographs paired with contemporary artworks by Omar Victor Diop, Yinka Shonibare CBE and Robert Longo.
In addition, the exhibition will showcase a series of powerful films and performances by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. A dose of glamour and celebrity is infused by outfits worn by familiar people adorning the collection, such as Sam Smith and Timothée Chalamet’s iconic sequinned Haider Ackermann suit worn to the Dune premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Legendary entertainers such as David Bowie and Marlene Dietrich star too, enforcing dressing beyond the binary with innovative designs and diverse depictions highlighting masculine sartorial self-expression.
Claire Wilcox and Rosalind McKever, co-curators of Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, said: “Masculine fashion is enjoying a period of unprecedented creativity. It has long been a powerful mechanism for encouraging conformity or expressing individuality. Rather than a linear or definitive history, this is a journey across time and gender. The exhibition brings together historical and contemporary looks with art that reveals how masculinity has been performed. This is a celebration of the masculine wardrobe, and everyone is invited to join in.”
The exhibition’s opening act is a Craig Green SS2021 ensemble incorporating a deconstructed suit. The central theme is an exploration of the construction and deconstruction of both the masculine body and conventions of masculinity.
The three main galleries Undressed, Overdressed, and Redressed follow, concluding with the finale, Dressed. The initial foray, Undressed takes visitors to a utopian dreamscape and an exploration of both the male body and underwear and how European ideals have been both perpetuated and challenged over time. On show are plaster casts of the Apollo Belvedere and the Farnese Hermes as traditional ideations of male bodies that are draped in textiles to reveal more than they conceal. In juxtaposition are contemporary representations of the body courtesy of photography and prints by David Hockney, Isaac Julien, to an iconic Calvin Klein advertisement, always guaranteed to cause quite a stir.
Overdressed follows in contrast to transport viewers into an elite masculine wardrobe. Think courtly grandeur, oversized shapes and silhouettes, expansive colour, and indulgent velvet and silk materials within a sumptuous, immersive space. Embodying status and wealth, fashion pieces, including breastplates and smoking suits, feature alongside a Dolce & Gabbana cape juxtaposed with a Sofonisba Anguissola painting.
The final section of the trio is Redressed which considers the suit; both its construction and dissolution of the suit amidst an exhibition design scene akin to an urban reawakening. Homage is also paid to English country tailoring with a heritage kilt to explore military attire influences civilian dress. Materials are also considered, in particular leather and how designers such as Tom Ford for Gucci, Hedi Slimane for Dior, and Donatella Versace advanced its application in fashion. Then there’s the frock coat, with examples from Prada, Alexander McQueen, and Raf Simons doing their best to steal the limelight. A curation of photography and paintings demonstrating changing styles and attitudes, from Oscar Wilde, Claude Cahun, and Cecil Beaton to The Beatles and Sam Smith, completes the exhibition.
As if the cherry on the cake, the finale showcases three iconic gowns that symbolise a reimagined future for the gendered dress, paired with a specially commissioned film by Quentin Jones with Cadence Films. The original models are three hugely significant figures in popular culture today that all sparked viral moments when they wore the pieces. First up is Billy Porter’s groundbreaking tuxedo gown by designer Christian Siriano that created a sensation on the Oscars red carpet in 2019. Alessandro Michele ensures Gucci’s star turn by the custom gown and tailored jacket worn by Harry Styles in 2020 for his cover of American Vogue; coincidentally also the first-ever solo male to adorn the magazine’s cover. Last but not least, visitors can catch a glimpse of Bimini Bon Boulash’s wedding dress designed by Ella Lynch for Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK in 2021.
Presenting a unique exploration into fashion and masculine style, be sure to make your way to South Kensington to catch a glimpse for a true spectacle like no other.
Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear at the V&A, in partnership with Gucci Sainsbury Gallery, runs until 06 November 2022
V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum), Cromwell Road, London, SW7
vam.ac.uk/masculinities
#ArtofMenswear
