When Vulgar Is Vogue

The first exhibition to explore the completely subjective yet totally captivating topic of taste in fashion (read bad taste), The Vulgar aims to both compel and repel audiences when it opens this fall.

With over 120 pieces from the Renaissance to the present, ranging from inappropriate fan decoration to the infamous 'tits' tee by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, the exhibition was envisioned by seasoned fashion curator Judith Clark alongside psychoanalyst Adam Phillips.
Other contemporary labels known, indeed celebrated, for their sartorial provocations include Moschino, Walter Van Beirendonck, Yves Saint Laurent, and Viktor & Rolf.



Walter Van Beirendonck, hat by Stephen Jones, fall 2010



Viktor & Rolf, couture spring 2015



Dior by John Galliano, couture, fall 1998



Dior by John Galliano, couture, spring 2005



Schiaparelli, couture, fall 2015



Chloé by Karl Lagerfeld, spring 1984



18th-century mantua



'A Bevy of Cherubs' fan, 1860s