Inspired By Art

There are two different kinds of individuals, one that purchases garments based on beauty and trends, and the other who purchase based on the designer's thought process and their inspiration behind the work. Fashion and art have always been in close proximity. Many designers have looked upon art as a form of inspiration to incorporate in their garment construction in order to make their work more unique. This technique has been used by many famous fashion designers, however, the first designer to incorporate the merge between the two was YSL and his collaboration with Pete Mondrian. 

This particular collection was known as the ‘Mondrian Collection’ and consisted of six cocktail dresses that paid respects to the Dutch painter’s lineage. Many designers question whether this name is fully covering the aim of the collection since other designers such as Poliakoff and Malevich also placed an active role and inspired YSL.  

There is a clear convergence between fashion and art in this collection. YSL was able to capture the fashionable western silhouette; at the same time also refers to the artist’s work from the ’60s.

The use of the abstract, geometric, and visual language of the Dutch movement to which Mondrian was a part of was also applied to the designing of the six dresses. 

Saint Laurent was particularly well known for his love for fine art and his extensive personal collection covering various periods of style that later influenced his garment construction. 

“Mondrian is purity and one can go no further in purity in painting. This is a purity that joins with that of the Bauhaus. The masterpiece of the twentieth century is a Mondrian”.  

With his love for art, he described the garments as a canvas on which he experimented with his artistic ideas, thus being able to capture a new perspective on Haute Couture.