LACMA TO PRESENT NEW MENSWEAR EXHIBITION IN APRIL

Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015, which will explore the history of men’s fashionable dress from the eighteenth century to the present, will run at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from April 10 through August 21. The exhibition features 200 looks, and celebrates a rich history of restraint and resplendence in menswear.

Drawing primarily from LACMA’s renowned permanent collection, Reigning Men makes illuminating connections between history and high fashion. The exhibition traces cultural influences over the centuries, examines how elements of the uniform have profoundly shaped fashionable dress, and reveals how cinching and padding the body was, and is, not exclusive to women.

Highlights of the exhibition will range from a 1770s “Macaroni Ensemble” to a 1790s “Incroyable Ensemble,” a 1940s Zoot Suit, 1960s clothes from Carnaby Street, and contemporary fashion by designers such as Walter von Beirendonck.