Designer clothes worn by celebrities such as David Bowie and Harry Styles will be on display at the V&A Museum in London as part of an exhibition dedicated to menswear. The exhibition “Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear” “praises the power, craftsmanship and diversity of men’s clothing and appearance,” emphasize its curators, Claire Wilcox and Rosalyn McKever.

“Masculine fashion is enjoying a period of unprecedented creativity… this is a journey across time and gender. The exhibition will bring together historical and contemporary looks with art that reveals how masculinity has been performed. This will be a celebration of the masculine wardrobe “, they add in the description of the exhibition.

100 looks will be presented alongside 100 works of art – Renaissance paintings, sculptures and films – in three thematic sections: “Undressed”, “Overdressed” and “Redressed”.

The first section explores the male body and underwear, as well as how the classical European ideals of masculinity have been perpetuated and challenged over the centuries. The second section examines the elite masculine wardrobe featuring larger than life silhouettes, luxurious materials such as silk and velvet in bold colors and symbolic patterns that express status, wealth and individuality. English tailoring and the origin of the suit- with historic clothes from the V&A collection – are presented in the third section together with contemporary reimaginings. In addition, it examines how military attire influenced civilian dress.

“Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear” opens on March 19 2022 and runs till November 6 2022 .