V&A: Fashioning Masculinities

By Louis Entwistle

Without a doubt, one of the biggest privileges of being located in London is the wealth of things to attend and appreciate. The P.S team were lucky enough to attend the opening party of ‘Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear’ at the V&A museum. Sponsored by Gucci, we entered the main hall to a dazzling display of outfits, champagne and Mark Ronson as DJ (tears of joy were nearly shed).

As always the archival muscles of the museum were flexed, where else could you wander from 19th century dress to a Harris Reed femme-fabulous iteration? Here at its essence is what makes a space like the V&A so effective in it’s storytelling the constant display of references, never justifying but demonstrating why a fashion archive should be revered and taken as seriously as an art exhibition.

As we predominantly source womenswear from Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Dior, John Galliano to name but a few, attending this was sheer joy to appreciate those runway and red carpet moments from the world of menswear. How the opulence of the Dandies continues to inspire and provoke on the red carpet, how gender normative dress has often historically traded hands with the opposing side. The colour pink was dissected to it’s origins of wealth and power pre-20th century and how colonialism played its part in what was then the height of masculinity. Subculture was also under the microscope (much to my elation!) with Teddy Boys, Zoot Suits and the Mod movement showcased in the Street Styles section. These subcults and youthcults could not be more integral to action-reaction structure that underpins fashion today, and one of the most important factors in understanding fashion theory.

We don’t want to give away too much as always, but we do recommend this exhibition to all of you for its accessibility and curation - few do it like the V&A.

Fashioning Masculinities runs until November 9th