The world of fashion has never shied away from controversy, but while celebrities and designers now have to go to increasingly extreme lengths to grab the headlines, it's easy to forget that much of the most contentious clothing of its era has morphed into standard – dare we say conservative – items in the modern-day wardrobe. After all, where would style be today without the jarring post-war extravagance of Christian Dior's New Look, the rising hemlines of the 1960s or Yves Saint Laurent's androgynous Le Smoking, which ushered in the now ubiquitous trouser suit?
The territory of taste is explored in a new exhibition, The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined, at the Barbican. Starting with the central concept of vulgarity, it questions what it is that earns something that title and why it is such a contested term. Created by exhibition-maker Judith Clark and psychoanalyst Adam Phillips, The Vulgar brings together more than 120 pieces, including many from leading designers such as Chanel, Prada, Manolo Blahnik and Vivienne Westwood, across a 500-year timeframe, tracing the evolution from the Renaissance to the present day.
"With such a bold and brilliant concept, Judith Clark and Adam Phillips have created a highly original, redefining and hugely enjoyable exhibition about fashion, past and present," says Jane Alison, head of visual arts at the Barbican. "Playing with juxtapositions, different themes and vistas, they’ve set the stage for visitors to wonder, ponder, question, reflect or just revel in why some costumes are considered vulgar, how that changes through time, context and experience."
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Fashion's obsession with excess is examined with extravagant pieces such as 18th-century mantuas, featuring overskirts nearly eight feet wide. Elsewhere, the exhibition delves deeper into the changing way the industry interprets the body, bringing together exhibits such as provocative lace looks from Louis Vuitton and Pam Hogg, exaggerated and avant-garde assemblies including Walter Van Beirendonck's elephant skirt outfit and Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's infamous "Tits" top, a defining symbol of the punk era.
The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined is at the Barbican Art Gallery, London, from 13 October to 5 February 2017; barbican.org.uk
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