Looks that pop: Harry Styles
(Picture: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)Designer outfits worn by stars from Harry Styles to David Bowie are going on show at the V&A as part of a major new show celebrating menswear.
Clothes worn by Marlene Dietrich and Sam Smith will also feature in the exhibition alongside paintings and classical sculptures to explain the history and development of men’s fashion over the centuries.
The outfit worn by the former One Direction singer is a Gucci suit from its 2019 season. He wore it in New York while inducting Stevie Nicks into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.
Curators Claire Wilcox and Rosaline McKever said the show, called Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, will “celebrate the power, artistry and diversity of masculine attire and appearance.”
They added: “Masculine fashion is enjoying a period of unprecedented creativity ... this is a journey across time and gender. The exhibition will bring together historical and contemporary looks with art that reveals how masculinity has been performed. This will be a celebration of the masculine wardrobe.”
The exhibition, which opens in March, will also include outfits by designers from Donatella Versace and Alexander McQueen to Jean-Paul Gaultier as well as photographs and prints by artists such as David Hockney. Also featuring is a film of choreographer Matthew Bourne’s Spitfire, a ballet set in the world of men’s underwear advertising.
The exhibition will present about 100 looks and 100 artworks displayed “thematically” across three galleries, including classical sculptures and Renaissance paintings as well as fashion pieces by the likes of Harris Reed, Grace Wales Bonner and Raf Simons.
It is not the first fashion show at the V&A. It enjoyed huge success with shows dedicated to designers including Christian Dior, Mary Quant and Balenciaga.
