The fashion museum of Hasselt, Belgium, has once again delighted fans of vintage fashion with this exhibit, Jazz Age, covering the rise and height of the Roaring Twenties as well as the end of the era where the 1930s start to sneak in.
The set-up was rather topsy-turvy, starting at the second floor without a clear start and end point, which meant that people often wandered through parts in the wrong order.
Luckily, visitors were given a comprehensive guide that clearly explained the corresponding pieces. Even if you did go about it in the wrong order, that didn’t really matter because of the clear sections and the way the exhibit was presented.
Outfits were presented on mannequins, either grouped in display areas or in display cases, often with videos of movies from those times playing in the background, accompanied by Swing Jazz, setting the perfect atmosphere for the feel of these beautiful pieces.
Jazz Age is not only a perfect opportunity to see pieces from the 1920s and 30s up close, but also to see garments made by the great designers of the era, including Coco Chanel, Jean Patou and Paul Poiret.
Another nice touch was the section of “modern flappers”, where fifteen silhouettes by contemporary designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Dries van Noten were displayed. Creations inspired by the era but made between 2001 and 2014.
Aside from the many garments, there were also several display cases with shoes and accessories, design sketches, fashion magazines and store catalogues from the time.
There’s only one downside to this exhibit and that is the limited amount of menswear on display.
Agreed, the dresses from the era were a sight to behold, but still, it would have been nice to see more than one token male outfit in every room.
Aside, it was really a wonderful setup and the museum did a fantastic job!
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