Fashion?! The elements of style
Württemberg State Museum, Stuttgart, DE
24.10.2020 – 25.04.2021
How is fashion created? Who decides what’s in and what’s out? How does the meaning of clothing change, and why?
The Württemberg State Museum will be exploring these and many other questions in a special exhibition entitled “Fashion?! The elements of style” to be held in Stuttgart from 24 October 2020 to 25 April 2021.
How do we use clothing every day? Starting from this elementary question, the exhibition will explore the complexity of the fashion system in a critical but also entertaining way. It will reflect on how individual items of clothing can change meanings and show how fashion is communicated. It will look at gender and body image, the evolution of style icons, and the depiction of changing consumer practices.
“Fashion?! The elements of style” exhibition will present the highlights of international fashion history from the 1950s to the present: opulent haute-couture models by famous designers, everyday wear, fashion photography and fashion magazines. One particular focus will be on dresses from famous fashion houses such as Dior or Chanel and models created by famous designers such as Karl Lagerfeld or Vivienne Westwood. Another highlight of the exhibition will be original dresses of former style icons such as Empress Sissi or David Bowie. There will be examples from regional fashion and textile industries to show the interrelationship between local and global fashion production. The exhibition will also focus on the central role of social media in today’s fashion scene.
The aim of the special exhibition is to show fashion as a complex phenomenon, to highlight its various influencing factors, and to question the individuality and freedom of personal decisions. Aesthetically appealing objects and interactive exhibition elements will give visitors an exhibition experience that combines the pleasure of thinking about fashion and a critical reflection on the topic.
At the same time, the “Junges Schloss” – the Young Castle, the children’s museum in Stuttgart – will be showing the hands-on fashion exhibition “Try your hand at fashion! A hands-on exhibition for children and families”.
A 128-page book with 160 colour illustrations will accompany the exhibition. It will be published by Belser Verlag in October 2020. The price for the museum edition is € 10. Publication of the catalogue was made possible by the generous support of the Rudolf-August Oetker Foundation.
More information:
https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/en/exhibitions/special-exhibition-fashion/