I made it along to Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney this week.
Reigning Men is the largest and most important menswear exhibition ever assembled and explodes the myth that menswear is restrained.
Featuring over 130 garments by renowned menswear designers including Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Jean Paul Gaultier, Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent, Reigning Men makes illuminating connections between history and high fashion. Drawing primarily from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s renowned collection, 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.
Beginning with the 18th century, the male aristocrat wore a three-piece suit conspicuous in make and style, and equally as lavish as the opulent dress of his female counterpart. The 19th-century “dandy” made famous a more refined brand of expensive elegance which became the hallmark of Savile Row, London’s celebrated street of bespoke tailors. The mid-twentieth-century “mod” relished in the colourful and modern styles of Carnaby Street, and the 21st-century man – in an ultra-chic “skinny suit” by day and a flowered tuxedo by night – redefines today’s concept of masculinity.
MC
We are thrilled to be open in Ponsonby and have our second door in Auckland. Located at 271 Ponsonby Road, the store represents an evolution of our offer from purely suit-centric to a becoming a complete lifestyle brand for men. With this new and expanded range we have showcased our concept of what a modern...
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Founder Murray Crane caught up with Awling and discussed all things menswear, New Zealand’s approach to it and why he’s so fond of handcrafted goods. Read a shortened copy below or visit Awling to read to full interview. Hi Murray, thanks for finding some time to speak to us. Let’s start with getting some background on yourself. Where...
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Sometimes, a design marries form and function so well that it essentially can’t be improved upon. So it is with the pea coat, a contemporary menswear staple that still manages to look peerlessly stylish despite being almost entirely unchanged since the early 1700s. Featuring a double-breasted six- or eight-button closure, an a-line shape finishing just...
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