The art of fashion
Eight-week art history and theory course
7 May 2019 6.30 - 8pm14 May 2019 6.30 - 8pm21 May 2019 6.30 - 8pm28 May 2019 6.30 - 8pm11 June 2019 6.30 - 8pm18 June 2019 6.30 - 8pm25 June 2019 6.30 - 8pm2 July 2019 6.30 - 8pm
The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£420. Includes all materials, light refreshments and a wine reception at the end of the final session.
Terms and conditions
Join international scholars, art world professionals and fashion industry experts for a lecture series on the history of Western dress from the early modern period to the present.
Over eight weeks, this lecture series takes a broadly chronological approach, tracking developments in fashion over eight centuries. The study of dress enables an understanding of the history of science, economics, politics, social history, art, sport and everything in between.
Since the early Renaissance and the introduction of sumptuary laws across Europe - laws attempting to restrict excessive extravagance in dress - fashion has been used by the ruling elite as both an expression of power and a political tool. This course explores the power struggles among early European states and how this was played out through taste and dress in the 15th and 16th centuries. It looks at, for example, the highly symbolic dress employed in the English Tudor court of the 16th century.
Depictions of members of the Stuart court in the 17th century gave way to more sensual portraiture, were painted fashions were different from historically accurate dress. With this in mind, the course investigates the gap between invented portrayals of dress as seen in art and what people actually wore.
With the dawn of the Enlightenment in the 18th century, Britain saw a short-lived period as the arbiter of style as Europe embraced the ideal of the English country gentleman. This was once again reflected in art and literature which contributed to the prevailing image of an Englishman.
Considering the twentieth century, the course examines the development of the modern fashion industry and the emergence of pioneering designers and iconic fashion houses, from Charles Frederick Worth to Chanel, Dior and Alexander McQueen. By studying the history of fashion through art, this course explores contemporary responses to fashion history and how we engage with dress today.
About the course
This course provides a unique opportunity to learn about the history of fashion through looking at depictions of dress in art, led by guest speakers and cultural leaders from the worlds of academia, art and fashion.
This course will be delivered in part through lectures but will also include an opportunity for questions and discussion from participants.
It is designed both to enable an historical overview for those new to the field, and to be relevant for those with prior fashion history knowledge who are keen to learn from experts in the field.
This course is suitable for enthusiastic beginners as well as those with previous knowledge who would like to develop their understanding further.
This course is for you if:
• You have a general interest in art history and would like a novel way to understand historical changes in art and culture
• You have a personal or professional interest in fashion and dress and would like to explore its history and theory in more depth
• You would like to enrich your knowledge with an expert perspective and explore in detail the development of fashion
Minimum age 18
£420
Tuesday 7 May – Tuesday 2 July 2019
6.30-8pm each session
This course provides:
• 8 expert-led lectures with the opportunity for questions and discussions
• The opportunity to learn and reflect within a peer group, with discussions facilitated by an expert in the field
• The opportunity to socialise and network with peers in a friendly environment
• A drinks reception at the end of the final week
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the Speakers
Acting Pathway Leader, Fashion History & Theory BA
Central Saint Martins
Cally Blackman is a dress historian with degrees in fashion, art history and an MA in History of Dress from the Courtauld. She is currently Acting Pathway Leader of the Fashion History & Theory BA Pathway at Central Saint Martins where she has been teaching for nearly 20 years. She lectures widely and has published several books, including 100 Years of Fashion Illustration (2007) and 100 Years of Fashion (2012). A history of the Fashion School at CSM is due to be published in September 2019.
Director of Collection and Research
National Galleries of Scotland
Professor Christopher Breward is Director of Collection and Research at the National Galleries of Scotland. He was trained at the Courtauld Institute and the Royal College of Art, London and has previously worked as Head of Research at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and as Principal of Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh. His published interests include the relationship between art and fashion, visual and cultural histories of masculinity and histories of city life.
Vice President, Specialist, Head of Sale for Old Master Paintings
Christie's New York
Jonquil O’Reilly is Vice President, Specialist, Head of Sale for Old Master Paintings at Christie’s New York. Having earned her degree at the University of Edinburgh with a year at the Università di Bologna, she began her career at Sotheby’s London in the Old Master Paintings department in 2008, moving to New York in 2011 and accepted her role at Christie’s in 2018. In addition to researching, authenticating and valuing art, compiling catalogues and curating exhibitions and auctions, Jonquil has a secret passion for codpieces, ruffs and farthingales. She writes and lectures on historical fashion as means of contextualizing paintings and making them more approachable for new audiences. As “The Costumist” she contributed regularly to Harper’s Bazaar online and in 2018 wrote for Vanity Fair. Jonquil has given fashion lectures at the Metropolitan Museum, Chatsworth House, The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle and has spoken on panels at the 92nd Street Y, Pacific Place Hong Kong and TEFAF art fairs.
Professor Emiritus
Courtauld Institute of Art
Professor Aileen Ribeiro read history at King’s College, London, followed by postgraduate study (MA and PhD) at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. She was Head of the History of Dress Department at the Courtauld Institute from 1975 to 2009 and appointed Professor in the History of Art at the University of London in 2000; she is now Professor Emeritus. She lectures widely in Great Britain, Europe and North America, and has acted as a costume consultant / contributor to major art exhibitions. She has published many books and articles on various aspects of the history of dress. Books include The Art of Dress: Fashion in England and France 1750-1820 (1995); Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England (2005); Facing Beauty. Painted Women and Cosmetic Art (2011). Her most recent book is Clothing Art. The Visual Culture of Fashion 1600-1914 (2017), winner of the Apollo Book of the Year Award 2017.
Senior Lecturer in Contextual Studies
Royal School of Needlework
Clare Rose is a dress historian whose research investigates the relationship between actual garments, the documents used to sell clothing, and images of fashionable people. She is particularly interested in fashion during the period 1830-1920, on which she has published several books including Art Nouveau Fashion 1890-1914 (V&A Publishing, 2014). Trained as a museum curator, she has researched and published on the collections of the V&A, The National Archives, the Bodleian Library, and institutions in Europe and the USA. She lectures frequently on the history of fashion at the V&A, and is the lecturer in Contextual studies for the BA in Hand Embroidery at the Royal School of Needlework.
Cultural Historian, Writer and Lecturer
Dr Benjamin Wild, FRHistS, is a cultural historian who writes and lectures about the history of dress. He has written for a variety of magazines and academic journals and regularly teaches at the V&A and National Portrait Gallery. Previously, he was guest lecturer at the Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design, London, and consultant lecturer at the Sotheby's Institute of Art, London. He is half of Dress: Fancy podcast, a weekly show that discusses the prevalence, power and popularity of fancy dress costume. His third book, Carnival to Catwalk: Global Reflections on Fancy Dress Costume, is forthcoming from Bloomsbury Academic.
Senior Lecturer,
Christie's Education
Jacqui Ansell is a Senior Lecturer at Christie’s Education, tutoring online and face-to-face courses. She read History of Art and Theory at the University of Essex before going on to gain an MA in History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute under Professor Aileen Ribeiro. Formerly an Education Officer at the National Gallery, London, and a tutor and writer for the Open University, Ansell lectures for the Art Society and has devised and delivered many short courses on fashion in fine art for the National Gallery and Wallace Collections. Specialist research focuses on Court Dress, Grand Tour portraiture and Welsh Costume, as well as decoding dress in art to date portraits, and decipher meanings.
Costume Designer
Michele Clapton has been working as a Costume Designer in film and television for 20 years. She has worked on projects such as Sense and Sensibility, for which she was nominated for Best Costume Design for a Television Mini Series at the Costume Designers Guild Awards 2009 and The Devil’s Whore with director Marc Munden, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design. Michele has designed seven seasons of the hugely successful HBO series Game of Thrones, for which has won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Costumes for a Series; two Costume Designers Guild Award for Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series; and a BAFTA Award for Costume Design. For her work on The Crown, she has won a further Emmy in 2017; a further BAFTA in 2017 and another Costume Designers Guild Award for Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series. This year she was awarded the prestigious Designing Women award for her career in costume design from NYWIFT (New York Women in Film & Television). Her film work includes Before I go to Sleep with Director Rowan Joffe, Queen of the Desert with Director Werner Herzog, Ali and Nino with director Asif Kapadia and Mamma Mia Here We Go Again directed by Ol Parker. To be released next year are The Secret Garden directed by Marc Munden and Kingsmen set in 1917 directed by Matthew Vaughn.
Writer and Event Organiser
Catherine St Germans is a writer, an ecology and literary event organizer and co-founder of the Port Eliot Festival. She is Chairwoman of Programming, The Merwin Conservancy, a non profit on the island of Maui in Hawaii with the mission to inspire innovation in the arts and sciences. She studied fashion at St Martins School of Art in London, has written on fashion and the arts for The Guardian, The Observer, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The Face among others and was the Chatelaine of Port Eliot for a number of years. She is based in London, Cornwall and Hawaii.
About the space
The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre
New in 2018, the lecture theatre builds on the RA’s heritage of rigorous and lively debate. This magnificent double-height space, with over 250 seats, allows us to share our artists and scholars with the world. Original clerestory windows provide a spectacular day-lit space, brought to life with a continuous programme of events including lectures, debates, film screenings and concerts.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.
Give this course as a gift
All of our courses can be purchased as a gift for a friend or family member – giving the gift of education and a remarkable experience. To arrange a personalised Gift Voucher, please contact Anna Pojer, Academic Programmes Manager, by calling 020 7300 5684 or email anna.pojer@royalacademy.org.uk