When You're A Boy - Men's Fashion Styled By Simon Foxton

'When You’re a Boy celebrates men in fashion photography, specifically the men who create photographs of men. Focusing on the career of a stylist rather than a photographer, this is the first exhibition devoted to the groundbreaking British menswear stylist Simon Foxton, whose career spans the last three decades, a time of profound change in fashion and style
photography.

Foxton (UK, b.1961) is a leading image-maker of men’s fashion, who has anticipated and defined key shifts in menswear design since the early 1980s. Capturing menswear’s spirit and energy in some of the most memorable fashion photographs of the period, he questions definitions of masculinity, national identity and taste. Historic portrait iconography and classic English men’s tailoring are combined with contemporary sportswear design, street fashion and references to gay subcultures to produce sophisticated and innovative fashion images for a range of brands and magazines.

When You’re a Boy explores the working practice of a fashion stylist through Foxton’s important working partnerships with Nick Knight (UK, b.1958), Jason Evans (UK, b.1968) and Alasdair McLellan (UK, b.1974) as well as his numerous collaborations with other photographers including John Balsom (UK, b.1970); Donald Christie (UK, b.1960); Ben Dunbar-Brunton (UK, b.1976); David Hughes (UK, b.1969); Benjamin Alexander Huseby (Norway, b.1978); Giles Price (UK, b.1973); Stefan Ruiz (USA, b.1964); David Sims (UK, b.1966) and Simon Thiselton (UK, b.1975).

Foxton's witty, often provocative and highly influential work is presented through a selection of photographic prints, tear sheets and scrapbooks.'

(Taken from http://www.photonet.org.uk/index.php?pxid=954)

This exhibition is highly recommended if you're in London. The images are highly evocative, and give a fascinating insight to Foxton's working ethic. Foxton's adoration of the male physique is something that informs the entire exhibition, be it the sexualised fantasy of Galliano's Warriors (pictured), or the English gentrification of the Strictly collection of images. I really enjoyed the English Heritage images, where Foxton and Nick Knight have taken famous English paintings and interpreted them using two black models.

Humour is also a large part of Foxton's work, evidenced by the scrapbooks on show. One of the cuttings advertised a club from the 80's that looked very salubrious indeed. There's even a penis on show somewhere in there. If you're interested in men's fashion, or just a good image, you could do much worse than pay this a visit.

The exhibition runs until the 4th of October, with a Q&A with Foxton himself on September 8th.