After Mapplethorpe nudes comes men’s clothing during the last 300+ years

AFter you've made your way through the Mapplethorpe show, you can walk across the hall to sen men's clothing. through the centuries. — After you’ve made your way through the Mapplethorpe show, you’ll find yourself channeled into a show of men’s clothing. through the centuries. I suspect this exhibition was intended to be a balance to Mapplethorpe’s unclothed men.

As a kind of counter-exhibit to the room after room of Mapplethorpe’s male nudes–which not all of which are suitable for publication, at least in this blog–the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is exhibiting men’s clothing since the 1700s. Most of the recent items in the exhibition are works by famous designers.

Pearlie Kings commoners’ clothing

Men's Robes LACMA — Robes for men range from the utterly pedestrian one, front and center, to Rudi Gernreich’s Unisex robe from the 1960s on the right.

There is, however, one example of clothing that was worn by the man on the street: a Pearly King vest. The Pearly Kings and Queens were members of the working class who did charitable works beginning in the early 19th Century in London. I remember that as I child I was fascinated by photographs of them I saw in magazines. And they still exist. In fact, one Pearlie group marched in the opening of the 2012 Olympics.

(Tomorrow: an astonishing video I almost missed!)