The Love Affair Between Art and Fashion Part 1
For many contemporary art theorists, art and fashion have almost become complementary with one influencing the other in myriad ways. This is despite the idea that art has catered itself to— the idea of being something that can be displayed and admired from afar. It has been oft observed that art inspires and gets inspired by fashion influences, with socio-cultural dynamics articulated in creations as a sort of commentary on the prevailing times. What follows is a series of observations on the symbiotic relationshop between art and fashion as a cultural and historical study from an artistic and aesthetic perspective.
1.Emilie Floge and Klimt (1904): In one of most famous portraits of Floge by Klimt, she is swathed in blue, a garment of her own design which is as enthralling as herself. Floge was after all, an accomplished designer in her own right and Klimt often referred to her as his muse. Known for her cutting edge designs that incorporated intricate panels inspired from the Hungarian and Slavic embroidery, Floge believed her own design sensibilities as distinctly art oriented. Klimt’s famous painting is most emblematic of Floge’s influence on him. The Lady in Gold, looks back at us from the frame dressed in a bold geometric pattern with golden thread embroidery, as if she was dressed by Floge herself, only moments ago.
2.Sonia Delauney (1911): Sonia Delauney was an artist and one of the key figures who were a part of the Parisian avant garde movement. Her oeuvre was about mapping the depth between colour and abstract figures which she later translated into textiles. She had her own design boutique apart from an art studio, which she called Casa Sonia, and it was here where she brought some of her abstract art to life in fashion. She is most famous for designing costumes of Tristan Tzara’s 1923 play Le Cœur à Gaz, for her illustration for the cover of Vogue in 1926, and costumes for the films Le Vertige directed by Marcel L’Herbier and Le p’tit Parigot, directed by René Le Somptie.
3.Paul Poiret and Erte (1925): Paul Poiret was known as the ‘King of Fashion’ and had revolutionised the early twentieth century era with his dynamic creations that were almost oriental in their form. He had managed to capture the desire for movement that was lacking in women’s wear and had made their clothing almost theatrical in nature. In the mid-1920s, inspired by the fresh perspective on structure in the women’s clothes in Erte’s art, who was a multi-faceted designer and artist. Poiret invited him to create a few sketches for him and these, with their concise yet unguarded tonality, matched the out of the box thinking sensibilities of Poiret’s aesthetic perfectly.
Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali (1937): While Elsa Schiaparelli’s designs were always influenced by art, her 1937 creation, popularly dubbed as the ‘Lobster Dress’ became one of the most recognisable symbols of her work. Schiaparelli was majorly influenced by the Surrealist movement and especially admired Salvador Dali’s work. According to Dalí Museum’s executive director Hank Hine, ‘They shared this sense of doing astonishing things that would shock and amaze.’ And indeed, when first worn by Wallis Simpson, the erstwhile Duchess of Windsor, the dress shocked many with its sheer bodice and panelling on the skirt with the figure of the lobster, Dali’s own creation, situated on the woman’s crotch as a means of symbolising sexuality. Wallis Simpson posed in Elsa Schiaparelli’s ‘Lobster Dress’ for Vogue in 1937, photographed by celebrated British photographer, Cecil Beaton.
5.Yves Saint Laurent and Peit Mondrian (1965): As a connoisseur of great art himself, Yves Saint Laurent had dedicated himself to bringing the great works of art to life in his sartorial creations. One of his most iconic designs, the Mondrian dress, was inspired by the Dutch artist Peit Mondrian’s ethereal geometry. The dress was made from wool jersey with no visible seams, so as to render the garment a moveable feast for the eyes. In doing so, Saint Laurent somehow managed to offer a dynamic platform—the fashion runway.
6. Roy Halston and Andy Warhol (1970): Both Halston and Warhol had similar beginnings, hailing from industrial American cities and starting their careers as window dressers before moving to New York to make their artistic dreams be known to the world. Warhol’s famous flower print called, Flowers, saw him shift from the theme of commercialisation to decommercialisation. When Halston used the print in 1972, he had already established himself as a minimalistic artist known for his clean and flowing structure of clothing. Warhol’s print on his dress then became a point of departure for both, but at the same time it also created a garment that couldn’t have captured their influences on each other more perfectly.
7.Yves Saint Laurent and Vincent Van Gogh (1988): Vincent Van Gogh’s art has served as an inspiration to many designers. But when mixed with Yves Saint Laurent’s terrific eye for design, Van Gogh’s art comes to life in the most vivid manner. In 1988, Saint Laurent commissioned embroiderer Maison Lesage to stitch Vincent Van Gogh inspired sunflowers onto a jacket, which took him a total of 600 manhours to complete. This iconic jacket was unveiled at his 1988 Spring/Summer collection and was modelled by Naomi Campbell. That same collection also featured another one of Van Gogh’s famous canvas translated into a garment, the blue and violet jacket inspired from his painting Irises.
8.Gianni Versace and Andy Warhol (1991): Gianni Versace embodied a sense of theatricality in his designs. He loved bold prints, vivid colours and playing with different cuts in a woman’s garment. So, it should come as no surprise that he was inspired by and created a dress honouring the art of Andy Warhol, and that too his Marilyn Monroe print, a piece as famous as the actress herself. His evening dress was bold, full of colour and with Warhol’s print splattered across the garment with the low sweetheart neckline, it was indeed a befitting nod to Marilyn Monroe’s own fashion style. This design truly encapsulated Versace’s love for Warhol’s synthesis of art and living.
