Black in Fashion: Mourning to Night

Written by Press Release

You can wear black at any time. You can wear it at any age. You may wear it for almost any occasion.

Throughout history, the colour black has been associated at various times with death, power, elegance, urbanity, subversion and sex appeal. An upcoming exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria will explore the evolution of black in fashion from the extravagance of the seventeenth century through to the groundbreaking designs of the present.

Black in Fashion: Mourning to Night will be the first exhibition to be held across both NGV venues, NGV International on St. Kilda Road and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square.

The exhibition will comprise over 60 items, including garments from the nineteenth century to the present and portraits from the NGV collection dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth-centuries. The garments will come from the NGV’s extensive collection of fashion and textiles as well as from a number of public and private loans.

At NGV International, the exhibition begins with Thomas de Keyser’s seventeenth century painting of Frederick van Velthuysen and his wife, Josina – a portrait of Dutch fashion where black is the modest but luxurious choice. This leads to an examination of the various codes of etiquette that have aligned black with traditional mourning wear, key pieces include traditional mourning dresses, hats and capes. Contemporary designers represented in the international exhibition include Yves Saint Laurent, Comme des Garçons, Madeleine Vionnet, Cristobal Balenciaga, Gabrielle Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Gianni Versace.

At NGV Australia the exhibition takes on a particularly ‘Melbourne’ focus with designs by exclusive Collins Street boutiques Remond and La Petite, and punk-inspired, ‘body sculpture’ from Jenny Bannister. Other designers featured include Martin Grant, Mad Cortes and Linda Jackson alongside glitzy evening wear from Studibaker Hawk. The Australian exhibition will also include paintings by Tom Roberts, William Strutt and Aby Altson.
An illustrated catalogue will be published with essays by the four curators of the exhibition Paola Di Trocchio, Laura Jocic, Roger Leong and Danielle Whitfield. The catalogue charts the story of black in fashionable dress through a discussion of the diversity and heritage of black, nineteenth mourning dress, the urbanity of black and, finally, ‘black magic’ or the allure of wearing black after dark.

Roger Leong, Curator, International Fashion and Textiles, said: “Black has appeared in many guises throughout the centuries. Historically, Chanel is the designer most closely associated with advocating the use of black in fashion, creating many modern classics, such as the ‘Little Black Dress.’”

“In the 1970s, Vivienne Westwood introduced fetish wear into the punk uniform while locally, Jenny Bannister fashioned her version of urban tribal wear. Today, with its resolutely urban associations, black continues to serve as inspiration for contemporary designers.”

Dr Gerard Vaughan, Director, NGV said this was an exciting first for the gallery:

“Importantly, this project marks the first time an exhibition has been shown at both of our venues, NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. This will give our visitors a very special and fascinating opportunity to consider the NGV’s exceptional collection of fashion and textiles from both Australian and international designers as part of the same exhibition.”

Black in Fashion: Mourning to Night is on display at NGV Australia at Federation Square from 8 February – 24 August 2008 and at NGV International on St Kilda Road from 29 February – 31 August 2008. Entry is free.