Four Layered Man's Shirts with Shoulder Pins
Designed by Walter Van Beirendonck, Belgian, born 1957. Worn by John Cale, Welsh, born 1942.
Geography:
Made in Italy, Europe
Date:
c. 2000Medium:
Top shirt: plaid polyester plain weave seersucker. Second and third shirts: printed cotton plain weave. Bottom shirt: striped cotton plain and twill weave, metalDimensions:
Center Back Length: 33 1/2 inches (85.1 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
2002-24-2a--dCredit Line:
125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift from the private collection of John Cale, 2002
Made in Italy, Europe
Date:
c. 2000Medium:
Top shirt: plaid polyester plain weave seersucker. Second and third shirts: printed cotton plain weave. Bottom shirt: striped cotton plain and twill weave, metalDimensions:
Center Back Length: 33 1/2 inches (85.1 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:2002-24-2a--dCredit Line:
125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift from the private collection of John Cale, 2002
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Originally one of the famously avant-garde "Antwerp Six" designers, Walter van Beirendonck has defiantly maintained his wild creativity and anarchist attitude. Here he takes the concepts of the masculine tailored shirt and layering to the extreme. This piece consists of four shirts—each with a foldover collar but of different fabrics and with diverse sleeve treatments—and connects them with two-inch-long metal rods topped by screw-on balls that protrude, antennae-like, from the shoulders.
