Masters of black in fashion and costume

It felt like the best time of year to be in Antwerp. The weather was wonderful, the temperature not too high and the sun was out constantly. The city has many museums but the one I headed to as soon as we arrived (or to be accurate after a romantic horse and cart ride) was the MOMU to see the exhibition “Black. Masters of black in fashion and costume”. The museum is easily one of Antwerp’s main attractions and quite a progressive place in terms of its commitment to fashion. The latest exhibition investigates the colour black through a wonderful combination and collection of paintings, historic costumes and contemporary fashion (Ann Demeulemeester, Olivier Theyskens, Dirk Van Saene, Givenchy (Riccardo Tisci), Chanel, Yamamoto, Raf Simons, Undercover, Viktor & Rolf and Gareth Pugh among others). The show’s curator, Kaat Debo, has put together works of extremely high quality in a number of small rooms making it a manageable selection on which to concentrate. This is genuinely a fashion exhibition at its most inventive. I was fascinated and loved it. It took me on a tour of social changes linked to the colour black from the 16th century to the 21st century and clearly displayed its associations with mourning, sophistication, Goths, fashionistas etc. Looking back at my pictures I realized that I had unconsciously disregarded most of the clothes and favoured the old books, objects, strands of hair, examples of dyeing techniques, hats, collars and lace. My only major criticism of this informative and beautiful exhibition is that it won’t travel to other places in the world. I wish everyone could see it!

All pictures and collage by me