Clothes make the man: “reigning men exhibit: fashion in menswear, 1715-2015”
When it comes to fashion, women get all the credit. Millions of people tune into awards season to see the outfits of music and movie industries’ top female performers. Thousands of fashion freaks flock to New York twice a year vying for a chance to experience the famed Women’s Fashion Week. The quintessential fashion magazine, American Vogue, fires the imaginations of a global audience with fantastical lands where fashion rules all and meticulously styled women are it’s goddesses. Women are indeed beautiful creatures to behold, and to dress. But what about the men?
Do men not wear clothing? Do we not take notice when a sharply dressed man walks by? Men and menswear have a unique place in the fashion ether and history. Los Angeles County Museum of Art is finally showcasing its history in its current exhibit, Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015.
Photo by: Vidal Espina
Photo on the left: Shirt and trousers, Jeremy Scott
Spring/Summer 2013
Cap: New Era for Jeremy Scott
Sunglasses: Linda Farrow for Jeremy Scott
Boots: Adidas for Jeremy Scott
Photo on right: Zoot suit
1940-42
Necktie (Bellywarmer) 1945
Shoes (Spectators) 1935-42
Sharon Takeda, Senior Curator and Head of LACMA’s Costume and Textile department, introduces the show, “Reigning Men takes us on an intriguing 300-year journey of sartorial splendor of aristocrats, dandies, mods, punk, and so many others. Through examples of historical and contemporary ensembles, viewers can encounter the evolving nature of menswear and contemplate the future of men’s fashion.”
And what a journey it is.
Reigning Men invites the visitor on a tour through five rooms, each with a different theme.
The first room is called “Revolution/Evolution,” and take a look at dress during periods in rebellion and evolution of fashion in Western Society. It’s in this room where you also see the evolutionary styles of mod and punk.
Next is East/West, featuring exquisite silk jacquard fabrics from China and Japan as well as robes, kimonos and kaftans. The East influenced the usage of Chinese silk fabrics in jackets to the simplistic approach of modernity in tailoring from Japan. Even hand painted naturescapes on silk from this area of the world has been translated to the modern day Hawaiian shirt.
The exhibit in the third room titled Uniformity introduces military influences with the precise tailoring techniques of today’s work suits and evening attire. The exhibit also shows camouflage prints and their influence in men’s fashion through the ages.
Body Consciousness follows with garments constructed to conceal and manipulate the male body and its proportions. The room features the evolution of men’s underwear to swimwear as a means to conform to society’s pressures of concealing the body. Also present are ensembles that are padded and manipulated to shape the male form.
Concluding the exhibit is The Splendid Man, a look at clothes worn by those who have no qualms about living to excess. From the 18th century to today, opulence is the keyword where every sequin, gem, fur and metallic lace is imagined and re-imagined.
The styling of Reigning Men is on point with the modernity of the exhibit space, lending personality to each outfit while tying in contemporary sensibilities. A modern approach to wigs, created without hair, adds to the ambiance of the referenced time periods. Brooches, watches, shoes, hair ties and props give dimension to the experience. Each room is painted in masculine colors – such as navy, brown and gray – as an homage to the male psyche and adding layers to the thematic journey. The organization of the pieces is, at first, a little confusing, until one realizes that the progression of the exhibit is nonlinear, as most fashion exhibits are chronological. Instead, LACMA organizes the historical references with its contemporary counterparts housed within the overall theme of each room. The rhythm of the show becomes apparent as the visitor progresses through the installations.
Photo by: Vidal Espina
Figure on Left: Ensemble, Ken Etro for Etro
Fall/Winter 2014-15
Figure on right: Ensemble, Thom Browne
Fall/Winter 2014-15
Hat, Stephen Jones for Thom Browne
As a fashion fanatic, I was continually breathless to be in the presence of some of the world’s greatest designers: Gianni Versace, Chanel, Bill Blass, Tom Ford for Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balmain, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. An intangible experience of connection results when you can study an artist’s work and right next to it is the historical reference and influence, especially when derived from America’s history. The feeling intensifies while viewing a designer’s work that resonates with you on so many levels. That deeper heartfelt connection is something that is lost on those who have no biographical knowledge of the people who create these clothes and that the effort to educate is something that this exhibit lacks. Historical blurbs throughout the exhibit put the clothes and their influences into context, but ultimately history is nothing without the designer’s stories. Perhaps there would be too many biographical sketches to post around the exhibit, but in an age where we are losing connection with our past because we are obsessed with the technological present, then a technological approach through LACMA’s app is needed to connect the stories to the past.
The exhibit does include a few quick bios, but they read more like short dating profiles rather than tributes to the designers’ triumphs and tribulations, and their genius.
Today’s fashion world seems to be all over the place. There is something for every taste level from dandy to punk, preppy to Goth and everything in between. However in the current cultural movement toward acceptance of transgender and sexually non-binary persons, we are starting to see convergence in men’s and women’s fashions.
This influence is reflected in the last three collections at Gucci in which feminine styles of blouses, lace and jackets have been intermixed with the house’s traditional styles in their men’s division. This fashion trend is a reflection of the growing acceptance of non-conformity and feasibilities outside the cultural gender norm. Perhaps in 100 years future generations will note this change in society through our fashions. What will men’s fashion look then?
Reigning Men has much to offer museum-goers. For those who simply want to look at beautiful things as they take a walk down memory lane, the clothes no doubt will satisfy. For those who want to experience history from a different perspective, this exhibit will fill that need. And for the fashion fanatic, this show presents the possibility of a deeper connection to our Western history, that is, through fashion.
Visiting an exhibit like Reigning Men is an exciting and rare opportunity. It is more than just a comprehensive look at the evolution of menswear. It is an illustrated commentary on our history and its influences on ordinary people.
Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015, is on view now until August 21 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
