Fall newsletter
The fall semester has arrived and Revers is ready for a promising new academic year!
With the first leaves starting to change colour, our research network is back and preparing for a new academic year packed with events, collaborations and research exchanges!
Anonymous, Dance Kimono for a Geisha, depicting the Tatsuta River where floating maple leaves form a famous autumn scene, c. 1920–1940. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.
Upcoming events
Revers events
London excursion — 13–14 November 2025
One of our first highlights will be the Revers-member excursion to London on 13 and 14 November. Together with our members, we will visit:
- ‘Dirty Looks. Desire and Decay in Fashion’ (25 Sep 2025 — 25 Jan 2026), at the Barbican, curated by Revers-member Karen Van Godtsenhoven;
- The ‘Marie Antoinette Style’ exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum;
- The open-access museum depot at the V & A East Storehouse.
If you would like to join, send us an email at revers@ugent.be!
Edmond Fortier, Postcard 1014: ‘Jeunes Femmes Arabes de Tombouctou’. Collection Dr Tolulope Onabolu.
Guest Lecture ‘Josephine Baker, Salome and the Courtesans of Kitao’ by Tolulope Onabolu — 17 November 2025, 13:00–14:15, Ghent University, Auditorium 5, Dunantlaan 1
Dr Tolulope Onabolu (Lecturer in Architecture, School of Architecture Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University) will be giving a guest lecture during Prof. Maude Bass-Krueger’s Fashion and Textile class on Josephine Baker, Salome and the Courtesans of Kitao.
Josephine Baker, Salome and the Courtesans of Kitao
Beginning with postcards from the photographer Edmond Fortier from the early 1900s, this lecture takes descriptions of the fictional 'Courtesans of Kitao' in Vigne d'Octon's novella "L'amour et La Mort" framed in the Rio Nuñez estuary of colonial era Sénégal (present day Guinea) and parallels them with the cinematic and stage representation of the early twentieth century entertainer Josephine Baker - theirs and her dance, dress and jewellery, and the desirability of this form of 'entertainment' in European society of the late 19th and early 20th century. The context is threefold. The first is the statement in the essay by the Viennese architect, Adolf Loos on “Ladies Fashion” in 1898, that the ideal representation of female fashion is the prostitute (Loos 95) - Loos later designed a house for Baker in 1927, which was never built, but which he referred to as his masterpiece. The second is the comparison of Baker to Salome by the choreographer George Balanchine in her biography “The Hungry Heart” (Baker and Chase xxiii); and the third is the description of Salome/Salambo in French decadent literature (Cassou-Yager 189), as these descriptions correlate with Vigne d'Octon's of his courtesans. The relevance of Fortier's postcards as used in this lecture, is that he was contemporaries with Vigne d'Octon, and both their works, as well as Loos's writing, fit within the decadent movement themes of orientalism/exoticism and eroticism.
Bio
Tolulope Onabolu is a lecturer in architecture at Newcastle University. His interdisciplinary research covers performance and scenography, the uncanny and sublime in the context of art practice in architecture, and the body as a site of architectural speculation. He is currently working on a series of critical positions, in the context of death, disease, desire, delirium and sex, following the narratives of European ‘exiles’ to West Africa in the long nineteenth century.
Rococo Reboot Study Day — 26 November 2025, 9:15 –17:00, in collaboration with Modemuseum Hasselt
Join us for a day of talks, tours, and hands-on activities exploring the many facets of the Rococo Reboot exhibition at Modemuseum Hasselt. From 18th-century beauty rituals to scenography, music, and innovative curatorial approaches, this study day offers fresh perspectives on Rococo aesthetics and museum practice. With curator Eve Demoen, conservator Pauline Devriese, collection assistant Anne-Marie Geerts (Modemuseum Hasselt), and Laura Fitzachary (independent scholar and historical consultant).
9:15 Doors open, registration starts
9:55 Welcome by Karolien De Clippel, Director of Modemuseum Hasselt
10:00 Keynote speaker Laura Fitzachary
Fitzachary’s talk will focus on 18th-century cosmetics, the toilette, and their misconceptions.
11:00 Exhibition Tour
Guided by conservator Pauline Devriese.
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Curator & Conservator Talk
Curator of Modemuseum Hasselt, Eve Demoen, and conservator, Pauline Devriese, will talk about exhibition policy, approach, scenography, object-based research on the collection pieces, scent installations, connecting the pieces with the themes, and the length of the exhibition.
15:00 Collection Presentation and Mini Workshop
Conservator Pauline Devriese and Collection Assistant Anne-Marie Geerts will present one case study: explaining the process of mannequinage through images and a mini mannequinage workshop in small groups.
16:00 End of day with drinks
Register here!
Events from our network
Leçon de Mode n°37: 40+ years of STIJL — Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 18:30 — MAD Brussels
Explore four decades of Belgian avant-garde fashion with Sonja Noël (founder of the legendary STIJL boutique) and Aya Noël (fashion journalist & curator), in a rare lecture unfolding right at the intersection of private selection and public exhibition. Expect an evening of insight, inspiration, and an informal chance to mingle afterwards. More information here.
News
Revers member Nele Bernheim gave a lecture during this year’s Heritage Days, dedicated to the theme Art Deco. Her richly illustrated lecture, “Norine Couture: The embodiment of the Brussels avant-garde, c. 1915-1952”, told the story of this extraordinary couture house.
Revers member Aurélie Van de Peer co-authored an article with Rudi Laermans titled ‘Sociology of fashion: What would Luhmann say?’ in Dialogues in Sociology, arguing for a transversal analysis of fashion in fashion studies and beyond. The article, part of the journal’s upcoming October issue on fashion, has stirred several positive reactions from fashion scholars such as Susan Kaiser, Anna-Mari Almila and Marco Pedroni.
Read the open-access article here.
Revers member Elena Vanden Abeele published an article in the latest issue of Costume: ‘Frivolity and Modernity: Parasols in the Long Nineteenth Century’. Drawing on the collections of the Fashion & Lace Museum and the Art & History Museum in Brussels, she illuminates the accessories’ fashion evolution, material culture, and sociological significance during the long nineteenth century. Read the (free access) article here.
Call for papers:
Studiedag Historisch Interieur en Design
Our colleagues at THIS: The Inside Story: Kunst en Interieur 1750-1950 have released their annual call for papers for the Studiedag Historisch Interieur en Design. This study day and its associated publication offer a platform for the presentation of research on the history of interiors and design in Belgium and the Low Countries during various historical periods, subjects and fields of work. Presentations are welcome from both senior and junior researchers in academic, museum and heritage contexts. More information here.
Current, New & Upcoming Exhibitions on Fashion and Textiles in Belgium to visit this Fall and Winter
Eperon d’Or Izegem
‘Schoen. Passie’ / 09.11.2024 – 31.12.2025
This exhibition showcases a passion for high-heeled shoes, featuring standout pieces from two major private collections that trace the evolution of women’s footwear through time. ‘Schoen. Passie’ has been prolonged until the end of this year.
Fashion & Lace Museum Brussels
‘40 + years of STIJL’ / 18.04.2025 – 11.01.2026
Celebrate over four decades of the iconic Brussels boutique STIJL, which has championed Belgian fashion talent since its founding in the 1980s.
‘Echoes of Art Deco’, in collaboration with the Boghossian Foundation (Villa Empain) / 15.11.2024 (reopened on 10.04.2025) – 02.11.2025
In 2025, the Boghossian Foundation celebrates 100 years of Art Deco with ‘Echoes of Art Deco’ at the iconic Villa Empain. Step into the spirit of the Roaring Twenties through architecture, music and decorative arts — including several rotating silhouettes from the collection of the Fashion & Lace museum.
(Image by Silvia Cappellari)
‘1925: Fashion in the Age of Art Deco’, in collaboration with Van Buuren Museum & Gardens / 06.11.2025 – 02.02.2026
This exhibition, in collaboration with the Van Buuren Museum & Gardens, will highlight a selection of authentic period clothing and accessories from the 1920s and 1930s, charting the transformation of the feminine silhouette into sleek, geometric Art Deco forms. Set against the architecturally Art Deco backdrop of the museum, it offers a rich dialogue between fashion, design, and modernity
Modemuseum Hasselt
‘Rococo Reboot!: Fashion 1750–1830’ / 04.04.2025 – 22.02.2026
A bold reimagining of 18th-century fashion that goes beyond the clichés of powdered wigs and pastel gowns. This immersive expo explores how style from 1750 to 1830 shaped daily life, challenged norms, and continues to inspire today’s designers — from Dries Van Noten to Comme des Garçons.
Momu Antwerp
GIRLS. On Boredom, Rebellion and Being In-Between / 27.09.2025 — 01.02.2026
This exhibition dives into the emotional, psychological, and political landscapes of girlhood, showing how the idea of “the girl” has shaped visual culture and fashion through art, photography, design, and film. With works by Louise Bourgeois, Martin Margiela, Sofia Coppola, Simone Rocha, and more, it reclaims girlhood as a powerful lens for remembering, imagining, and challenging assumptions.
RESOLUCIÓN: On lifetime decisions in Spanish cinema / 12.07.2025 — 23.11.2025
This audiovisual installation reframes Spanish cinema through the transformative power of costume and styling, showing how iconic actresses and their wardrobes mark pivotal, life-changing moments in women's lives. Drawing on clips from nearly a century of film, from Penélope Cruz to Aurora Bautista, the exhibition celebrates how fashion in cinema conveys autonomy, memory, and emotional liberation.
For a full overview of fashion-related exhibitions and workshops in Belgium and the Netherlands, see the agenda on Modemuze.
Do you have news that you want to see shared in our next newsletter or on our social media platforms? Please write to us at revers@ugent.be.