a
how much has men’s style changed in the last 30 years?
From Alexander McQueen to A-Cold-Wall*, ‘Invisible Men’ explores the changing face of menswear since the 90s.
But since then, men’s style has boomed and mashed-up beyond all recognition, straddling the best bits of the past with more recent fashion preoccupations such as luxury, techy fabrics, body-consciousness and gender fluidity. Today’s lucky style-focused male can now unashamedly pick and mix from a vast array of high-end designers to high street knock offs, underpinned with elements of sportswear, streetwear, tailoring, utilitywear or vintage. There’s also endless references and reinterpretations of the aforementioned subcultures — all blurred into one big thing called menswear. Even better, today’s man can buy from plentiful IRL or online shops, accessorising his sartorial choices with a mind-boggling array of grooming products, hairstyle options and physique-enhancing gym memberships galore.
PRINTED BIKER JACKET BY BODYMAP, 1985. WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE
Examples of such game-changing creations from the past, along with the work of many other designers who have since shot to prominence, are now included within Invisible Men, an exhibition which makes good use of the University of Westminster’s in-house menswear archive of over 1,700 pieces. The biggest menswear exhibition to have ever been staged in the UK, it will explore the ways in which established and emerging designers have long-since taken inspiration from or reimagined functional, technical and military clothing, the sort originally worn by soldiers, firemen, athletes, explorers, road workers and scientists. Fashion fans attending Invisible Men can duly gaze up close at original designs from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Craig Green, C.P. Company, A Cold Wall, Prada, Palace, Sibling, Maison Margiela, Jeremy Scott, Liam Hodges, Vivienne Westwood, Stone Island, Comme des Garcons and Helmut Lang, among loads of others.
HELMUT LANG WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE
The results of this dedicated scroll-athon clearly illustrate how far men’s fashion has evolved and how eclectic it has become. Tailoring, for example, has shed its formerly conformist associations, with radical designers gradually subverting not only the shape of suiting but lining it with unexpected narratives. “We have a three-piece suit from by Alexander McQueen that is incredible,” boasts Groves. “It’s from his AW98 ‘Joan’ collection, which took its inspiration from Joan of Arc being found guilty of dressing like a man and burnt at the stake at the age of 19. The severity and minimal nature of this three-piece suit is reminiscent of ecclesiastical garments, and features an elongated waistcoat that creates a skirted effect.”
LEFT: HI-VIZ RAILWAY WORKERS WAISTCOAT BY BURBERRY, 2018 WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE.
Flick through any men’s style magazine and you will be assured that men like functional clothes, and are super-nerdy about fabrics, cut and detail. One brilliant example of how these concerns were addressed — yet simultaneously imbued with a strong political message — is the 1996 Vexed Generation Ballistic nylon parka, which is also included within the exhibition. Not only does it still look utterly modern, but its subliminal message about societal discord is as timely as ever. “Co-opting the technology that the British state was increasingly starting to use against its citizens, Vexed Generation created this parka from nylon 66, a high tenacity fibre which is knife retardant,” explains Groves. “Coated with neoprene, the parka is fire retardant and has strategic padding through the pelvis, groin, kidneys and spine for additional protection.”
MAISON MARGIELA WESTMINSTER MENSWEAR ARCHIVE
“For me, it exemplifies the slight but vitally significant difference between men’s utilitarian working clothes and what they wear for leisure,” Groves concludes. “This almost invisible difference is at the heart of the exhibition and underlines the obsession with the smallest details that is at the heart of modern menswear.”
But since then, men’s style has boomed and mashed-up beyond all recognition, straddling the best bits of the past with more recent fashion preoccupations such as luxury, techy fabrics, body-consciousness and gender fluidity. Today’s lucky style-focused male can now unashamedly pick and mix from a vast array of high-end designers to high street knock offs, underpinned with elements of sportswear, streetwear, tailoring, utilitywear or vintage. There’s also endless references and reinterpretations of the aforementioned subcultures — all blurred into one big thing called menswear. Even better, today’s man can buy from plentiful IRL or online shops, accessorising his sartorial choices with a mind-boggling array of grooming products, hairstyle options and physique-enhancing gym memberships galore.
Examples of such game-changing creations from the past, along with the work of many other designers who have since shot to prominence, are now included within Invisible Men, an exhibition which makes good use of the University of Westminster’s in-house menswear archive of over 1,700 pieces. The biggest menswear exhibition to have ever been staged in the UK, it will explore the ways in which established and emerging designers have long-since taken inspiration from or reimagined functional, technical and military clothing, the sort originally worn by soldiers, firemen, athletes, explorers, road workers and scientists. Fashion fans attending Invisible Men can duly gaze up close at original designs from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Craig Green, C.P. Company, A Cold Wall, Prada, Palace, Sibling, Maison Margiela, Jeremy Scott, Liam Hodges, Vivienne Westwood, Stone Island, Comme des Garcons and Helmut Lang, among loads of others.
The results of this dedicated scroll-athon clearly illustrate how far men’s fashion has evolved and how eclectic it has become. Tailoring, for example, has shed its formerly conformist associations, with radical designers gradually subverting not only the shape of suiting but lining it with unexpected narratives. “We have a three-piece suit from by Alexander McQueen that is incredible,” boasts Groves. “It’s from his AW98 ‘Joan’ collection, which took its inspiration from Joan of Arc being found guilty of dressing like a man and burnt at the stake at the age of 19. The severity and minimal nature of this three-piece suit is reminiscent of ecclesiastical garments, and features an elongated waistcoat that creates a skirted effect.”
Flick through any men’s style magazine and you will be assured that men like functional clothes, and are super-nerdy about fabrics, cut and detail. One brilliant example of how these concerns were addressed — yet simultaneously imbued with a strong political message — is the 1996 Vexed Generation Ballistic nylon parka, which is also included within the exhibition. Not only does it still look utterly modern, but its subliminal message about societal discord is as timely as ever. “Co-opting the technology that the British state was increasingly starting to use against its citizens, Vexed Generation created this parka from nylon 66, a high tenacity fibre which is knife retardant,” explains Groves. “Coated with neoprene, the parka is fire retardant and has strategic padding through the pelvis, groin, kidneys and spine for additional protection.”
“For me, it exemplifies the slight but vitally significant difference between men’s utilitarian working clothes and what they wear for leisure,” Groves concludes. “This almost invisible difference is at the heart of the exhibition and underlines the obsession with the smallest details that is at the heart of modern menswear.”