We don’t mind admitting that here at Ten Towers we may be possessors of occasionally questionable taste. Rather that, though, that being arbingers of good taste alone. That can get terribly boring. We say: pile it on, stack it high and remember that there’s nothing that can’t be squeezed on without some talc and a squeeze of lube. Besides, what fashion revolutions have been staged on good taste? If that was the case we’d probably still be wearing bonnets and considering our ankles an erogenous zone. Fashion craves a nice dollop of the vulgar – as psychoanalyst Adam Phillips said “vulgarity exposes the scandal of good taste”. This is the nexus of the Barbican’s brand new fashion exhibition (and handily quoted on the press release), the suitably titled, The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined, exploring the territory of taste in fashion – from bawdy renaissance ballgowns to modern-day ready-to-wear, featuring works from Walter van Beirendonck, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Moschino, Miuccia Prada, Elsa Schiaparelli, Philip Treacy, Louis Vuitton, Vivienne Westwood and many more. If that’s vulgar, then I’m in. And it seems like good timing – thanks to Mr Gvsalia (sorry, again, I know) the play between bad taste/good taste has become a talking point once again. “Potent, provocative and sometimes shocking, the word vulgar conjures up strong images, ideas and feelings in us all,” say the accompanying words. “Examining the constantly evolving notion of vulgarity in fashion whilst revelling in its excesses, you are invited to think again about exactly what makes something vulgar and why it is such a sensitive and contested term.” Tis’ on at the Barbican now. Go forth culture vultures.
Photograph: John Galliano Dior Haute Couture AW98
