'Masters of Black' Fashion Exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium
March 25, 2010 - August 8, 2010
The ModeMuseum in Antwerp, Belgium opens an exhibition in late March 2010 illustrating the evolution of the color black in painting, costume and contemporary fashion. The exhibition will feature striking designs from the collections of Belgian designers such as Ann Demeulemeester, Olivier Theyskens and Dirk Van Saene, as well as the international couture houses of Givenchy (Riccardo Tisci), Chanel, Gareth Pughand and more.
Throughout Western history, at different times and for widely diverse reasons, fashion and costume have turned to black. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Antwerp became one of Europe's most important centres for dyeing fabrics black. As a result, the city has an historic connection to the colour. During that period, the aristocracy and wealthy citizens often had their portraits painted dressed in black, following the fickle and ever-fluctuating dictate of fashion as determined by the prominent royal court of the moment. For a long time, deep, richly dyed black fabrics were a luxury. Only in the second half of the 19th century would new dyeing methods make the colour accessible to a wider public, whereupon black could be found in almost every wardrobe, more so because it could now be worn by anyone in mourning.
A new highlight for black was its major role in the emancipation reform dress of the early 20th century, and a little later, in the modernity of the 1920s, reaching its apex in Chanel's `Little Black Dress', the paragon of modern elegance. Black continued to be a presence in the fashion image and took on a variety of new interpretations, such as those of the existentialists and beatniks of the 1950s and diverse subcultures from the 1960s and 1970s. Although the 1980s were known for their colourful style, a new avant-garde of Japanese designers formed a counterweight with their striking use of black. [From MoMu press release, February 2, 2010]
For more information, ModeMuseum, Nationalestraat 28, Tel + 03 470 27 70
Image credit: Olivier Theyskens A/W 1999-2000 - Photography: Les Cyclopes - Model: Linda Byrne - Viva Model Management, courtesy ModeMuseum, Antwerp.
