Doublet and Collar
Doublet, c1630-35
Italy
Collar, c1630
UK
'Black is more pleasing in clothing than any other colour'
The fashion for black began at the Spanish court and was further popularised by Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 book The Courtier (quoted above). This doublet is a rare survival, as the iron compounds used to create black have weakened the fabric. It was an expensive garment: the silk is shot through with silver and the gauze ribbon bows are tipped with silver points. Its dark sheen acts a foil to the equally costly needle lace collar, while the yellow silk lining suggests a wearer with a fine sense of drama.
[V&A]
Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear
(March 2022 to November 2022)
At a moment of unprecedented creativity in men's fashion and reflection on gender, this exhibition explored how designers, tailors and artists – and their clients and sitters – have constructed and performed masculinity, and unpicked it at the seams.
...The exhibition showcases the variety of possible masculinities across the centuries from the Renaissance to the global contemporary: from looks by Gucci, Harris Reed, Grace Wales Bonner and Raf Simons, to paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola and Joshua Reynolds, contemporary artworks by David Hockney and Omar Victor Diop, to an extract from an all-male dance performance by Matthew Bourne's New Adventures.
The exhibition presents around 100 looks alongside 100 artworks, displayed thematically across three galleries, Undressed, Overdressed, and Redressed.
The second gallery, Overdressed, explores the elite masculine wardrobe, epitomised by oversized silhouettes, lavish materials like silks and velvet in daring colours, and symbolic patterns to express status, wealth and individuality. On display will be armoured breastplates, silky smoking suits, makeup and shaving equipment, sweeping capes, ribbons and lace, including Grinling Gibbons' wooden carving imitating a Venetian needlepoint lace cravat. Through the lens of contemporary fashion designers including Rahemur Rahman and Kim Jones, Overdressed will show how historic ideas begin to shift, with a full rainbow of masculine outfits on display.
[V&A]
Doublet and Collar
Doublet, c1630-35
Italy
Collar, c1630
UK
'Black is more pleasing in clothing than any other colour'
The fashion for black began at the Spanish court and was further popularised by Baldassare Castiglione's 1528 book The Courtier (quoted above). This doublet is a rare survival, as the iron compounds used to create black have weakened the fabric. It was an expensive garment: the silk is shot through with silver and the gauze ribbon bows are tipped with silver points. Its dark sheen acts a foil to the equally costly needle lace collar, while the yellow silk lining suggests a wearer with a fine sense of drama.
[V&A]
Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear
(March 2022 to November 2022)
At a moment of unprecedented creativity in men's fashion and reflection on gender, this exhibition explored how designers, tailors and artists – and their clients and sitters – have constructed and performed masculinity, and unpicked it at the seams.
...The exhibition showcases the variety of possible masculinities across the centuries from the Renaissance to the global contemporary: from looks by Gucci, Harris Reed, Grace Wales Bonner and Raf Simons, to paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola and Joshua Reynolds, contemporary artworks by David Hockney and Omar Victor Diop, to an extract from an all-male dance performance by Matthew Bourne's New Adventures.
The exhibition presents around 100 looks alongside 100 artworks, displayed thematically across three galleries, Undressed, Overdressed, and Redressed.
The second gallery, Overdressed, explores the elite masculine wardrobe, epitomised by oversized silhouettes, lavish materials like silks and velvet in daring colours, and symbolic patterns to express status, wealth and individuality. On display will be armoured breastplates, silky smoking suits, makeup and shaving equipment, sweeping capes, ribbons and lace, including Grinling Gibbons' wooden carving imitating a Venetian needlepoint lace cravat. Through the lens of contemporary fashion designers including Rahemur Rahman and Kim Jones, Overdressed will show how historic ideas begin to shift, with a full rainbow of masculine outfits on display.
[V&A]