A great many poets have either written about fashion or approached the question of what they wear with great depth, wit, and intentionality.
Anne Sexton is one of several poets whose work – and style – is central to the exhibition.
The results are varied, involving references to Audre Lorde’s tunics and Stevie Smith’s collars. Anne Sexton, who was lauded for her public readings is represented through a recreation of a red dress she wore to perform. It was a piece that seemed to hold some crucial essence of her spirit. When she died aged 45, it was the dress that her daughters chose to have her cremated in. Its scarlet colour dominates the space, knowingly assertive.
Nearby, an even grander dress looms over the proceedings. The presence of Edith Sitwell, who was also renowned for the theatricality of her readings, is conjured in the form of a gigantic, tent-like gown hanging from the ceiling – splitting at the hem to reveal a table covered in feathers and jewellery . Sitwell was a writer who understood the power of performance: a formidable figure who employed bright colours, elaborate headpieces and gigantic necklaces as a form of armour.
For Werner, who recreated Sitwell’s dress, there were loud echoes between Sitwell’s work and her wardrobe. “It was made in a very theatrical way. The way the sleeves have been cut, it’s [what] I would apply to making stage costumes,” she explains, pointing out the excess fabric beneath the arms – a tailoring technique usually reserved for dancers. “Sitwell’s poetry often draws on Renaissance poetry or 18th-century forms, but also remakes them in experimental ways,” Parker adds.
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