Fashion and performance

The coat of many colours Joseph receives from his father. The red shoes Dorothy taps to be transported in Oz. The sheath dress Audrey Hepburn wears as Holly Golightly, eating a croissant in front of the Tiffany’s shop window… Some examples that prove how, wherever a story is being written, told, represented or shown, the dress does maketh the man.

Garments and accessories are instrumental in defining and communicating stories.

In cinema, costume design plays a crucial part of the mise-en-scène. Clothing and garments bring a character to life on the screen and communicate its personality to the audience. Clothes help to locate characters and stories in time and space, and they are often seen as an expression of a 'truth' about a person’s character: they illustrate age, historical and social context, profession and status, occasions and the milieu in which the characters move.

This exhibition celebrates the relationship between fashion and the performing arts.

Theatre, film, music and festivals are analysed from the clothes that they featured, inspired, produced, and we will also reflect on how this kind of fashion heritage has been preserved, studied and showcased by museums and cultural institutions.