Revisit the 80’s

Silhouettes: Fashion in the Shadow of HIV/AIDS

80’s fashion remains a source of nostalgia and inspiration today. The exhibition titled ‘Silhouettes: Fashion in the Shadow of HIV/AIDS currently showing at The David Roche Foundation House Museum, Adelaide is a window into why that is so.

Bringing together looks sourced from private collections, the exhibition explores the lives and works of some of fashion’s brightest but sadly lost stars.

The stars include fashion names you may be familiar with such as Halston and Moschino but most of the looks are by artists that you are likely never to have heard of because they died during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

It reminds us of not only the great tragedy and losses of the HIV/AIDS epidemic but the fabulousness of the era as well.

You can revisit the 80’s most sought after looks, including a fabulous high cut leotard that would look perfectly at home in a Jane Fonda exercise video. I enjoyed the outfits that 80’s teenagers obsessed with Lady Dianne Spencer and disco would have longed for together with the chic Halston dresses their mothers would have aspired too.

It also highlights how attitudes to the disease evolved and the role fashion activism played in helping that shift occur. A role the brand Moschino continues to play today. Learn too about the role Australian activists played.

There is a lot to enjoy in this exhibition that celebrates the artists of the era and the fashion they created.

If you are in Adelaide, the exhibition is open until 18 June.