Present Imperfect: Disorderly Apparel Reconfigured

Present: Disorderly apparel reconfigured;
Imperfect: A playful project that tests the principal elements of exhibiting fashion: object, body, text, installation. A conversation between exhibition-maker Jeffrey Horsley and curator Amy de la Haye inspired by apparel which is damaged, worn-out or perished.

Object: fragile apparel framed by modular structures

Body: proposals that allude to the human form

Text: playing with format to express actual and associative narratives

Installation: configured as gallery and studio space to share working processes

Disorderly apparel describes garments that are badly damaged, utterly worn-out or made from textiles that have perished over time. The items exhibited in Present Imperfect are prized for these very qualities. However, such apparel can be left overlooked or suppressed, lie dormant or languish in museum stores, and are rarely exhibited. Present Imperfect seeks to reassert these seemingly awkward items of dress and render them as compelling.

Fragile items that have been loaned for this exhibition include a pair of smoldered Victorian kid-leather gloves, a leather jacket template by Alexander McQueen, a ballet singlet borrowed from the Rambert Archives, an exhausted Stone Island coat and a century old evening dress made by leading London couture house Redfern.

Working processes and ideas that are usually undertaken back-of-house are shared in the gallery space so that visitors can see ideas from the making of this exhibition that were not foregrounded but are still brought out on view. The intention is to highlight that within the evolution of any exhibition numerous choices and ideas are explored, rejected and chosen.