6 pm – reception
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – lecture

Drawing from their publication Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion (Yale University Press, 2013), Kate Irvin and Laurie Brewer will discuss the sometimes extreme physical transformations evident in the dandy’s silhouette. The fashion practices of this iconic character will be analyzed through caricatures dating to the age of Beau Brummel, the quintessential dandy, and an examination of the artful modification of the male body at the hand of the tailor. In laying bare the secrets of the dandy aesthetic, the authors will present a figure who employed profound imagination in his appearance as he forged a unique path to self-discovery and self-expression.

Kate Irvin is curator and head of the Department of Costume and Textiles at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD Museum). Her recent exhibitions and projects at the Museum, include the inaugural displays in the museum’s -new Donghia Costume and Textiles Gallery and Study Center (June 2014).

Laurie Anne Brewer is the associate curator in the Department of Costume and Textiles at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD Museum). Her current exhibitions are Golden Glamour: The Edith Stuyvesant Gerry Collection and Indische Style: Batiks for the International Market.