Fashion as Art

I think so. I consider myself an artist. Fashion is the medium in which I choose to express myself artistically.

art1    /ɑrt/[ahrt]
noun
1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
2. the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection.
3. a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.

Today I came across a couple interesting articles addressing fashion as art. Both raise the question does fashion have a place in an art museum? "Does Fashion Deserve To Be In a Museum?" in Bust Magazine, and a New York Times article, the Bust article references: "Gone Global: Fashion as Art?" I argue that yes it does. The articles arrive at a similar conclusion while addressing some interesting issues such as what criteria is used to select designers, how some design houses are funding their own exhibits as sort of a brand marketing cum art statement, which has a number of interesting arguments along with it. I highly suggest you read these articles, excellent food for thought.

My art background is wide spanning. I have taken art classes since I was a child and have been schooled in mediums such as painting and clay. I've learned about perspective, the play of positive and negative space, the way primary, secondary and tertiary colors work. How to mix colors, how to make colors play certain tricks on your eye. I've also had the privilege of slowly meandering through some of the world's greatest art museums in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis. I move slow, I stare hard and my cerebral sponge soaks in as many details of the Masters as I can. I treat a clothing store and a fashion magazine the same way as I do the Louvre. I even treat people watching in this way.

My fashion design is derived from an accumulation of art education and observation. I consider each piece a wearable sculpture. A three dimensional painting. A study of positive and negative space. A play of color, texture and volume. This makes me slow, deliberate, obsessed with detail and extremely particular about the end result. Flaws? I think not, these are what gives character to my work. Enjoy!

The Depiction of Fabric in Paintings

I have come to realize that most of my all time favorite paintings in the whole world (that I have laid my eyes upon thus far)...brilliantly depict fabric in the clothing of the subjects. One such painting I discovered a couple of years ago at the Worcester Art Museum. It is in their permanent collection and quite wonderful. I have never seen such an effective portrayal of transparent lace before this picture. It looks like real lace and you can see through it as you could if you were there. Not to mention the great detail in her dressing table accessories. Woman at Her Toilette by Francois Clouet

At some point in high school I believe, I stumbled across Flaming June, as large as life on an out of the way wall in a museum whose name and location slip my mind. I don't know if it was an original or a print as I cannot seem to find any mention of whether this painting and I could possibly have been in the same museum at the same time in the last 5-10 years. Does anyone know how to look up the record of where paintings have been shown?

I love Flaming June because the artist captures the clingy, gauzy semi-transparent nature of her gown. He also expertly shows the natural drape of the fabric, how it pulls some at her right knee, and how it falls vertically from her extended left foot. Genius!
Flaming June by Frederick Lord Leighton

And finally I leave you with Julia, Lady Peel who I met at The Frick Collection in New York City (NYC) about a year ago while at the United Nations. The Frick Collection is a private collection in the exquisitely decorated home of the late Henry Clay Frick, a steel magnate, right next to Central Park. This collection houses numerous examples of my favorite paintings that are my favorites simply because of how the fabric is depicted. I highly suggest you visit The Frick Collection next time you are in NYC.

I have limited myself to sharing with you only Julia, Lady Peel as she is one of the finest examples of the amazing collection of paintings in The Frick Collection, and this way I won't go on for days about paintings I love. Maybe I will revisit this topic in the future with a different collection of paintings; small doses makes it easier to digest.

The color combinations in this painting are so eye catching (just had to put that out there). The artist really has made it easy for the viewer to distinguish one texture from another. You clearly see that the crimson plumes coming off the hat are light and feathery. You see that the white fur stole is just that, fur. And you see that her sleeves are sleek satin. Not to mention the detail in her jewelry! Love it!

Julia, Lady Peel by Sir Thomas Lawrence