A portrait of Oscar Wilde greets visitors upon entry at the Museum at FIT’s latest exhibit, Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk. As the 19th century’s ultimate dandy, Wilde embraced what he alliterated as the “dangerous and delightful distinction of being different.” Surrounding his portrait are quintessential examples of 19th century fashion: woolen black frock coats and long skirts. Upon closer inspection, subtle, subversive details emerge. Starched shirts and bowties on women’s clothing served as purposeful masculine elements to signify lesbian identity. A three-piece men’s suit from 1790s France, made in velvet and silk, stands out for its olive green hue—once considered effeminate in the era of early capitalism, when sober colors and stiff textiles defined white, Western masculinity.
Finding the ensembles was an arduous two-year process for historian Valerie Steele, chief curator, and Fred Dennis, senior curator of costume, who assembled the exhibit with the help of personal and museum collections. Says Steele, “I think people will be very surprised that the show goes back to the 18th century. We could’ve done a very different show, which would have focused on the last 50 years in fashion, and lots of gay designers. But I wanted to put it in context. This isn’t just something that’s happened from the ’70s until now. This is something that’s been a part of fashion history. In a way, it’s been hidden. This show is reclaiming the gay and lesbian past and putting it back into fashion explicitly. It’s not that just a few designers happen to be gay. But gays and lesbians have contributed immensely to fashion for a very long time.”
To read more on this must see exhibit visit fashionista.com and fitnyc.edu.
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