HISTORICAL ARTISTIC STYLES

1. EGYPTIAN

Roberto Cavalli design (Fall 2007)

Painting of an Egyptian woman

The above image is of a design from Roberto Cavalli's Fall 2007 collection. The silhouette is inspired from the Egyptian style of dressing, depicted in the second image of an egyptian woman. The dress is made of a sheer flowy fabric, and the neck jewellery worn by the egyptian woman in the painting has been used by Cavalli as ornamentation at the waist of the dress.

2. GREEK-ROMAN

A “Grecian” dress in silk jersey designed by Madame Gres in 1965.

Dress designed by Madame Gres in 1954 with an asymmetrical neckline.

Greek-Roman sculpture

The famous fashion designer Madame Gres was very famous for her beautifully draped dresses. She did most of her designing based on fabric manipulations and drapes on live models. She started her career as a sculptor, and later moved on to fashion designing, but her designs still showed her Greco-roman sculpture influence. The key elements in her garments were pleats, drapes and folds which were very typical of the Greek-Roman way of dressing.

3. GOTHIC

Designs by Bruno Pieters (Spring 2009 collection)


Gothic painting

The above two images are from Bruno Pieters's Fall 2009 collection which is reminiscent of the gothic art style. His designs have a very structured silhouette, the color palette is dark and he has used velvety, shiny fabrics. This inspiration is also clear from the use of hoods and cloaks in the collection, which resembles the clothes and covering of the head in the gothic painting by Simone Martini, 1285-1344 (third image).

4. SURREALISM

Alexander McQueen Design (Fall 2009)

M. C. Escher art
Dress designed by Catherine Malandrino (Fall 2009) showing two profile silhouettes



Catherine Malandrino design (Fall 2009) showing a weeping eye

The Surrealism movement began in the 1920s. It was based on the exploration of the mind (subconscious and unconscious), and the transfer of those images into art.
The first image is a design by designer Alexander McQueen’s for his Fall 2009 collection. It is a reflection of this artistic style. The print on the dress is reminiscent of the work of the famous graphic artist M. C. Escher, which looks like a geometric design which opens up into a flock of flying birds.
Another designer who was inspired by this movement is French designer, Catherine Malandrino. The above images are from her Fall 2009 collection. The first image shows an appliqué of two profile silhouettes on the body of the dress that turns into a vase in the blink of an eye—a motif originally designed by the artist Jean Cocteau. The second image is of a long dress with an embroidery of an eye crying.

5. ABSTRACT ART

Design by Dolce & Gabbana (Spring 2008)

Jackson Pollock art

Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 2008 collection included printed dresses inspired by the work of the famous American painter, Paul Jackson Pollock, a person who was a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. The first image is of a dress with an abstract print from his collection. The second image is of Jackson Pollock’s art, which was the inspiration for the print.

6. POST MODERNISM

Jil Sander collection (Spring 2010)

Raf Simons, the designer for Jil Sander, showed his Spring 2010 collection which was inspired by the postmodernism art styles – Minimalism and Deconstruction. The above images are of designs from his collection. The looks showed deconstruction and manipulation of fabrics, yet remaining minimalistic at the same time.

Source: Style.com