Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear

From floral prints to flannel shirts, men’s fashion has developed and changed over the last hundred years, just as much as women’s. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London will be putting on a new show to celebrate menswear called ‘Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear’. Set to open on 19 March 2022, it will display designer outfits worn by stars and style icons, such as Harry Styles and David Bowie. There will also be paintings and classical sculptures to explain the history and development of men’s fashion over the centuries.

But how does men’s fashion link to masculinity?

Recently, and over the last few decades, thanks to stars such as Bowie and Styles, the lines between feminine and masculine fashion have blurred. Some of the standout pieces from the collection include a modern, satin, pink suit with puffed sleeves and white lace, alongside a portrait from Prince Alessandro Farnese from 1560. Although these pieces are centuries apart, the clothing is similar, with the prince wearing an orange patterned coat of the same style, with puffed sleeves. So, has menswear done a full 360? Perhaps its evolution is helping us to slowly remove toxic masculinity.

Men should be able to express themselves through fashion, just as much as women – and one of the exhibition's themes, which compares modern fashion to renaissance paintings, showcasing fashion as an art form, reinforces this. With trends such as nail polish and rings becoming more accessible to men, the multitude of what they can feel comfortable wearing is expanding. Menswear is traditionally more subdued than womenswear, but it hasn’t always been this way, and it doesn’t have to continue to be.

The V&A museum has split menswear into three sections: undressed, overdressed and redressed. Undressed explores the male body and underwear, looking at how the idea of masculinity has changed over the centuries. Overdressed explores lavish materials and daring colours, banishing the historic idea that menswear should be plain. These pieces are both masculine and colourful. Finally, redressed focuses on the origins of the suit, how it has changed over time and how people are dressing beyond the binary.

No one knows what the future of menswear holds, but the exhibition is a promising start, hopefully inspiring men from all over the world and encouraging diversity within fashion – after all, masculinity is nothing but a social construct.

Edited by Miette Dsouza