![]() ![]() Patterns were chalked out on paper and then cloth, only to be adjusted again and again through multiple fittings, until a perfect fit was achieved. The tailors of Savile Row painstakingly built each uniform by hand. This uniform is constructed out of durable wool cloth, which was molded, stitched and steamed into a flattering male silhouette and accented with gold braid and buttons. Tailors on London’s Savile Row created this striking wool British army uniform in 1799. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the street in Central London became the de facto location of tailors specializing in uniforms for elite, high-ranking military officers, many of whom lived nearby. (Army Uniform Ensemble, England, 1799-1800. “It’s filled with a lot of wonderful stories.” The meticulously assembled exhibition also shows visitors that fashion has always been an outlet for expression and thus an art form in its own right. “The show features surprising colors, embellishment and silhouette changes in men’s fashion,” says Takeda. Though the exhibition showcases historical clothing styles that draw from Eastern influences and works by contemporary Japanese designers, it primarily focuses on menswear popularized in Europe and the Americas. LACMA’s curators examine how political movements, cultural exchange, uniform styles and desires to manipulate the male figure (think stockings with padded calves and waist-cinching underpants) all influenced the ensembles. The exhibition offers a far-ranging and eye-opening perspective on how cultural zeitgeists and political climates affect men’s fashion. They turned up court dresses for 18th century noblemen, an ultraconservative bathing suit from 1900, and a striped zoot suit, and selected 200 looks to feature in “ Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015,” opening April 10. Takeda, head of the costume and textiles department, and curators Kaye Spilker and Clarissa Esguerra mostly plumbed the museum’s permanent collection of more than 35,000 objects for notable trends in the past three centuries of men’s fashion. But a new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) begs to differ. “Most people’s idea of menswear is the standard business suit in a blue-black-brown palette,” says Sharon Takeda. ![]() ![]() It’s easy to think that men’s fashion is less exciting than women’s. ![]()
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