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Podcasts Off-Ramp
From old school Spanx to Hawaiian shirts, 300 years of men's fashion at LACMA
Off-Ramp with John Rabe Hero Image
(
Dan Carino
)
Apr 21, 2016
Listen • 11:20
From old school Spanx to Hawaiian shirts, 300 years of men's fashion at LACMA
LACMA has finally assembled the men's response to the acclaimed survey of women's fashion that helped open the Resnick Pavilion a few years ago.
In Victorian England, rich men went to their man caves and smoked in rich, colorful costumes like these.
In Victorian England, rich men went to their man caves and smoked in rich, colorful costumes like these.
(
John Rabe
)
Vintage 1952 silk Hawaiian shirts. The first such shirts were cut down from ornate kimonos.
Vintage 1952 silk Hawaiian shirts. The first such shirts were cut down from ornate kimonos.
(
John Rabe
)
Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015, a new exhibit at LACMA
Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015, a new exhibit at LACMA
(
LACMA
)
Sharon Takeda, senior curator and head of LACMA's Costume and Textiles Department, and Clarissa Esguerra, assistant curator of costume and textiles.
Sharon Takeda, senior curator and head of LACMA's Costume and Textiles Department, and Clarissa Esguerra, assistant curator of costume and textiles.
(
John Rabe
)
Detail of a silk coat from France, c1800.
Detail of a silk coat from France, c1800.
(
John Rabe
)
A "Pearly King Vest" from 1930's England. Note the VR on the shoulders for Victoria Regina, Queen Victoria.
A "Pearly King Vest" from 1930's England. Note the VR on the shoulders for Victoria Regina, Queen Victoria.
(
John Rabe
)
Fashion by Ahmed Adbelrahman from the Fall/Winter 2012-13 Thamanyah collection; tattoo by Mark Mahoney.
Fashion by Ahmed Adbelrahman from the Fall/Winter 2012-13 Thamanyah collection; tattoo by Mark Mahoney.
(
John Rabe
)
An early version of Spanx for men ... a corset built into a man's undergarment.
An early version of Spanx for men ... a corset built into a man's undergarment.
(
John Rabe
)
US Army uniform, c1944, of the type favored by General Eisenhower. The short coat became very popular, even influencing James Dean's famous windbreaker.
US Army uniform, c1944, of the type favored by General Eisenhower. The short coat became very popular, even influencing James Dean's famous windbreaker.
(
John Rabe
)
Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015, at LACMA. This setting shows how high fashion riffed on camouflage.
Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015, at LACMA. This setting shows how high fashion riffed on camouflage.
(
LACMA
)
Installation Photograph for Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015
Installation Photograph for Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015
(
LACMA
)
Installation Photograph for Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015
Installation Photograph for Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015
(
LACMA
)

LACMA has finally assembled the men's response to the acclaimed survey of women's fashion that helped open the Resnick Pavilion a few years ago.

Here are a few things I learned at LACMA's new show Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715–2015.

1. Men have been as vain as woman, witness two rare pieces: An old pair of long underwear with a corset like apparatus to give men the same hourglass shape cultivated by women and a set of stockings with lambswool implants designed to give men in tights the sexy calf muscles that proclaimed their masculinity.

2. Gregory Peck loved him some bespoke Saville Row suits. Reigning Men includes one of the 160 ensembles he ordered from H. Huntsman and Sons.

3. In Victorian England, men might relax by smoking a cigarette while dressed like a clown. Check the photos! The silk smoking jackets and suit on display are over-the-top.

4. It's harder to make up a male mannequin than a woman. It's not the clothes so much as the accessories: Canes, tie pins, hats, cuff links, handkerchiefs, etc. all have to be right. For the women, it's a dress and shoes.

For much more, listen to my interview with Sharon Takeda, senior curator and head of LACMA's Costume and Textiles Department, and Clarissa Esguerra, assistant curator of costume and textiles.