Barbican Exhibition Explores Vulgar Fashion

Potent, provocative and sometimes shocking, the first exhibition to look at the inherently challenging but compelling question of taste in fashion from the Renaissance to the present day is The Vulgar. The show, at the Barbican centre in London, examines the constantly evolving notion of vulgarity in fashion, while revelling in its excesses. Visitors are invited to think again about what exactly makes something vulgar and why people are so sensitive to the word and contest its use as a label. The more than 120 exhibits are from important collections, public and private, around the world. They are stunning, ranging from the costumes of ages past to more recent couture and ready-to-wear. The exhibition ends on February 5.

Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS, UK, barbican.org.uk