All That Glitters: inside the Barbican’s “vulgar” catalogue

Date
26 October 2016

Pearls, glitter, super-sized hats and see-through bodystockings: what do you consider “vulgar”? Barbican is asking that very question in its new exhibition: The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined, which looks at 500 years of fabulous excess across 120 OTT objects from ready-to-wear and couture designers including Chloé, Christian Dior, Pam Hogg, Christian Lacroix, Lanvin, Moschino, Miuccia Prada, Agent Provocateur, Philip Treacy, Viktor & Rolf, Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood.

Rather less vulgar however, is the exhibition’s catalogue. Designed by Charlie Smith Design and published by Koenig Books, the publication is thoughtfully and exquisitely designed, with a pale pink and gold cover. The 256-page, hard-cover tome, edited by Jane Alison and Sinéad McCarthy, includes over 200 images of ready-to-wear, couture and historic fashion, photography, manuscripts and textiles from the exhibition. Illustrations by Alice Smith bring to life definitions, quotes and discussions around the idea of vulgarity by the exhibition’s curator Judith Clark and psychoanalyst and writer Adam Phillips.

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined is on at Barbican until 5 February 2017.

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar, images courtesy of Charlie Smith design

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar, images courtesy of Charlie Smith design

Above

Barbican: The Vulgar, images courtesy of Charlie Smith design

Share Article

About the Author

Bryony Stone

Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.