It’s no doubt that I continue with the popularity and post this article “Fashion under the influence of Modernism”.
What is Modernism? Arthur Erickson said,” Modernism released us from the constraints of everything that had gone before with a euphoric sense of freedom.”
Modernism was an important art movement during the first two decades of the 20′s century. Unlike Cubism or Impressionism, it’s easy to understand more or less what is Modernism, since we understand what is the meaning of modern – over throw the old, conservative, traditional way of expression. It is a creation of a modern attitude of expression. Instead of recording what they had experienced, they predict what is in the future. It is like a trend forecast in the fashion world.
Modernism is a search for purity in expressing oneself. To search for the next big move. To apply this into the world of fashion nowadays, it’s not difficult to relate it with the concept of deconstruction, the reverse seam, the raw edge, asymmetric silhouette, the combination of up-to-day technology…anything that are out of ordinary. As Ying Gao, the fashion designer that I wrote about in my earlier article of her magnificent job in creating the modern fashion – “Fashion + Art + Technology = Ying Gao“.
She is one of the very original fashion designer that applies modern technology to the experimentation of fashion. They are all the fore front warrior in modernism in the world of fashion.
Modernism has a lot to do with futuristic. Normally speaking, futuristic is always connected with streamline, simplicity. In art, one of the popular artist in the modernism movement was Pablo Picasso ‘s cubicism and futuristism.
In fashion, the best illustrated this revolutionary fore-front leader is Paul Poiret. His famous lampshade dress in 1912 portrait the best in modernism in fashion – simple lines and vivid color.
Geometric pattern is one of th emost common elements that you can see in Modernism. This is best illustrated by the space-age modern giant Pierre Cardin, his design combined aesthetic strong lines & geometric shapes. Simple and yet unforgettable. his style is straightforward and emphasize of simple kind, functional and minimalism of ornament.
In fact, modernism has been constantly inspiring fashion in different era. This Spring 2012 from Oscar de la Renta, he applies the sense of modernism, and create a very easy to your eyes collection. It is composed of clean lines details; simple and streamlined silhouette. He kept the palette relatively simple, in classic bold primary colors and lots of black and white. It is so fresh in it’s color and print, you can easily related his collection with the inspiration of modernism, such as Picasso’s Femme assise devant la fenêtre (Marie-Thérèse), 1937
Bold, flat, simple lines and bright primary color palette are the key elements in the collection of Oscar de la Renta.
Piet Mondrian’s grid-like art is one of the most recognizable pieces of modern art today.
In fact, it has been so popular that it has been directly transformed into fashion too. The famous geometric compositions of red, blue and yellow primary colours can be seen to have a longstanding influence on fashion. It has seen in many different eras.
Yves Saint Lauren “Mondrian” dress, 1965
The importance in Modernism is not only the careful use of flat color, but also the balance within the surface.
I particular like the innocent collection from Prada’s Fall 2011. It is used a twist of color, and yet you can read the discipline of Mondrian’s style.
The collection from Raf Simons for Jil Sanders collection was very clean and very artistic. It took a refined approach on modernism in this era. He uses screen printing to achieve the striking and yet modern designs and the result is promising.
Obviously, Modernism has a lot to offer than just fashion and art, it’s an attitude, it’s a life style – Same as fashion! CoCo Chanel once said,” Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the as sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Are you breathing it yet?
