London: Gucci Fashioning masculinities at V&A Museum

Numerous exhibitions of various kinds have passed through the V&A Museum in London, as the history of the museum intends: from paintings to objects. Gucci, once again, gives us yet another reason to feel proud of Italian creativity. The London exhibition, open until November 6, 2022, pays homage to made in Italy with a historical excursus on men’s fashion from 1945 to today; this is, in fact, the first exhibition entirely dedicated to men’s clothing. The Fashioning Masculinities: the art of menswear is a real celebration of the male wardrobe. Born in collaboration with Gucci Sainsbury Gallery, it is dedicated, certainly not to the mere representation of men’s clothing, but to its evolution over the centuries: it is played with contrasts.

What we see is not a simple exhibition of clothes, a line up of styles of clothing over the centuries but a fluid path among the great Renaissance masterpieces that stand alongside the current creations; we move between what were the classic ideals to move to modern reinterpretations of men’s fashion. It should not be surprising, therefore, if in the path that winds through three exhibition halls of the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, you come across the Apollo Belvedere positioned in front of photographs by Hockney which in turn are next to the advertising of Calvin Klein.

We pass from Renaissance paintings that compare with models of dresses worn by Harry Styles, Sam Smith and again David Bowie and Marlene Dietrich. All this plays on the contrast between different eras, styles and times to celebrate the multiplicity of the men’s tailoring line.