a curated resource for designers, dandies, and historians
Exciting news, yet another menswear show is coming up!
Do men have a sense of fashion? Do they have an ego? Man Mode looks at dressing the male ego over the past 200 years: from the bedroom to the ballroom and all of his personas in-between.
HistoricalMenswear is excited about a new exhibition focused on menswear!
Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto, Canada)
May 8th, 2015 – May 2016.
Standing Tall will challenge preconceived notions about who wears heels and why. From privileged rulers to hyper-sexualized rock stars this provocative exhibition will explore the history of men in heels from the early 1600s to today, delving into the use and meanings of heeled footwear in men’s dress over the last four hundred years.
Offering rare examples of men’s heeled footwear from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, mid-nineteenth century military boots, 1930s cowboy boots and 1940s biker boots, visitors also have the opportunity to view John Lennon’s original 1960s Beatle boot, platforms worn by Elton John in the 1970s, and recent heels from haute couture collections, all from the Museum’s own holdings.
For more exhibitions focused on menswear, check out our archive in the menus above
Always so many things to love about this painting. The pumpkin breeches, the cod piece, the pinky ring, the flushed cheeks above a scruffy beard, the tailoring shears…
Giovanni Battista Moroni’s The Tailor (from 1565-70) is the Picture of the Month at London’s National Portrait Gallery. See what they have to say about it here.
Tomorrow they’re hosting a talk about fashion and accessories in art, given by Lois Oliver and Jenny Tiramani – wish I could be there! Details here.
There are so many menswear exhibits this year!
Here’s another one I’ve added to the list:
at the wonderful Museo del Traje in Madrid, 26 September – 2 November, 2014.
I just wish it were up longer! Check out the website for more information, and some great videos about the exhibition.
In the archives of Sweden’s Royal Armoury, from 1669:
Cloth of silver petticoat breeches – 22″ waist, with 56″ circumference for each leg. (Each. Leg!) Approx. 5 yards of 4″ silver lace around hem and along side seams, with an additional 16 yds of 1/2″ inch trip applied vertically along the hem (inserted into small slits in the fabric, under the lace). There are traces of old stitches along the sides where rosettes or loops of ribbon might have originally been attached. Two hidden pockets on interior of waistband, two large pockets along sides (though not on actual seams.)
Possibly worn with this?:
Mind. Blown.
I love the expression on this guy’s face. He’s totally like, “What did that guy just say about my hat?! I love my feathers! That’s so mean.”
detail from “Banquet at the Crossbowmen’s Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster,” Bartholomeus van der Helst, 1648. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
You have to appreciate his maternity-doublet-with-obi-sash-with-a-big-bow look. That kind of style takes courage. Plus, nice subtle clocking on the stockings, and good view of backseam.
I was just wondering, what exactly are those fun dangly accessories this guy’s got going on?
detail from “Militia Company of District VIII under the Command of Captain Roelof Bicker” by Bartholomeus van der Heist, 1643. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
And then, just a few rooms away, here’s what was hanging on the wall!
“Bandolier, with powder bottles and shot pouch” c.1600-1650.
Here’s what they had to say about it: “Hanging from this belt are twelve wooden containers, each with a charge for a single shot. The powder bottles were also called the Twelve Apostles. The muskateer wore the belt across his chest. He kept his lead shots in a separate leather pouch.”
Museum’s inclusion of costume accessories on display for the WIN!
