X RUNWAY MASTERPIECES
BAZAAR looks
EDGAR DEGAS
This season, Degas’s ballerinas made a graceful appearance at Bottega Veneta. There were no tutus to be found, but the soft, muted colours and easy movement of the looks recall the mood of Degas’s famous pieces. Tomas Maier wisely reiterated these old references with an overdone trope, where pieces were made almost entirely out of rich, high-gauge knit. at grand comparisons as in fashion imitates art
JEANHONORÉ FRAGONARD
In terms of embracing femininity, Dolce & Gabbana are absolute masters. The collection may have been heavierhanded with silhouettes drawn from the 1930s and 40s, but being inspired by fairy tale princesses, they took us back to the days of the Rococo. Cleverly married with strict shapes and vibrant colours, Dolce & Gabbana brought classic tales to the 21st century.
EL GRECO
Since Alessandro Michele took over the helm at Gucci, his collections have looked to the past for inspiration. His latest collection was ripe with aesthetic influences that took us back to the Spanish Renaissance. One look in particular was reminiscent of a knight in shining armour, as seen in El Greco’s paintings—thick gold fringe, stones, and chain links, like the ceremonial jewels a knight would wear. for magnificent volumes Autumn/Winter
JOHN SINGER SARGENT
Marchesa’s Autumn/Winter ’16 runway looks were made of dreams and fantasy. Painterly stories were within each look, filled with ruffles like a deconstructed version of John Singer Sargent’s Miss Grace Woodhouse’s evening dress. Graceful femininity inspired both the painting and the runway look. ’16. Fashion and art exist in separate spheres that, more often than not, overlap. There is also the eternal debate that questions if fashion is indeed art. While the latter’s influence on the former is indisputable, it can be difficult to say. Regardless, picking apart the references that made its way from designers’s minds to tangible clothes on the runway this season, it seems that creative endeavours do reflect each other. The shows reflected richness in inspiration, and perhaps, a need to push certain aesthetic ideas to the forefront with a little help from good old-fashioned fine art.