Edited by Amanda Gabriele on
Artists and designers are quite analogous to one another. Fashion is art and, essentially, art is fashion. That mod-print dress hanging in your closet is no accident; it represents the art and culture of an entire era. Art has been one of this decade’s major fashion influences.
During the swinging 60s, people began viewing fine art in an entirely different light. Pop art and op art became extremely popular as artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Bridget Riley entered the scene. Op art visual illusions created through geometric patterns were turned into fabrics, which eventually were used to make clothing. Cartoon characters and glorified everyday objects made trendy through pop art influenced design on black dresses. Dutch painter Piet Mondrian inspired the most famous dress of this time. Yves St. Laurent designed the “Mondrian dress” in 1965, which was widely copied.
So, next time you throw on an outfit, check out the pattern or print that you’re wearing. Odds are you’re wearing something that once hung on a gallery wall.
I stole my first pair of platforms from the Spice Bus in 1997 when Anglophilia was all the rage. Collector of vintage bags, vinyl and kitchen appliances. My dream of becoming a butcher is momentarily on hiatus so I can teach you how to wear muumuus and apply false eyelashes. Follow me on Twitter @CrystlMeatballs.