Anne Hollander Sex and Suits or Genesis of Suit, Hero’s in Wool, Hollande In addition to reading your textbook (listed on the syllabus) and Anne Hollander’s Sex and Suits, Genesis of Suit, Heros in Wool, Hollander.pdfPreview the document Take a look at this movie clip from the movie called Beau Brummell:
This Charming man, which beautifully illustrates the stylistic change from the reign of the powdered and bewigged colorful French-inspired “fop” to Beau Brummell’s regency era “dandy” who’s clothing revolved around more of a sense of naturalism, a dark and neutral color palette and understated accessories. Watch from the beginning until minute 8.
Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7CRWGPlYfE Using your readings, answer/discuss the following:
- Summarize the article Sex & Suits and discuss how neoclassicism and neoclassical art played a part in shaping men’s tailoring in the late 18th and early 19th century.
- Anne Hollander says that you “could not denude man or put him into a stagey tunic”, whereas the women’s neoclassical clothes were more dramatically and directly linked to stolas of Ancient Rome and Chiton and Peplos of Ancient Greece. Do you think that it is more common to see designers create more “costumey” clothes for women than for men? Explain and also illustrate with a picture taken from a fashion magazine of a “stagey/costumey” ensemble created for women today and sold in the market for everyday wear.
- Describe the neoclassical- inspired body ideal for men in the Regency era, and discuss what “tailoring tricks” were mentioned in your reading that was used by tailors of that era to create the perfect clothed body for men? What is the ideal body for men today in our society? Do clothing designers cut and shape men’s suits to accentuate ideal silhouettes? Explain and illustrate with an image from current men’s fashion.
- After watching the Beau Brummell movie clip and completing your readings on this time period, do you think the change from colorful “fop” clothing to restrained neutrals and dark tones of the “dandy” effect our modern vision of men’s menswear in regards to color, shape, texture, and decoration?
