Reigning Men: Fashion In Menswear

Photos By Diane Anderson

The Reigning Men: Fashion In Menswear's exhibit was the inspiration for last weekend's "Vogue" at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The Saint Louis Fashion Fund and incubator designers together with André Leon Talley, the former American editor-at-large for Vogue Magazine, hosted a gender-fluid runway fashion show.

*Reigning Men runs through September 17. The installation explores the history of men's fashionable dress from the eighteenth century to the present and re-examines the all-too-frequent equation of "fashion" with "femininity." Beginning with the 18th century, the male aristocrat wore a three-piece suit conspicuous in make and style, and equally as lavish as the opulent dress of his female counterpart. The 19th-century "dandy" made famous a more refined brand of expensive elegance which became the hallmark of Savile Row, London's celebrated street of bespoke tailors. The mid-twentieth-century "mod" relished in the colorful and modern styles of Carnaby Street, and the 21st century man—in an ultra-chic "skinny suit" by day and a flowered tuxedo by night—redefines today's concept of masculinity.

Drawing primarily from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's renowned collection, Reigning Men makes illuminating connections between history and high fashion. The exhibition traces cultural influences over the centuries, examines how elements of the uniform have profoundly shaped fashionable dress, and reveals how cinching and padding the body is not exclusive to women. The exhibition features over 150 looks, and celebrates a rich history of restraint and resplendence in menswear.

Caption: Tamron Hall with The Saint Louis Fashion Fund Incubator Designers