Art and Fashion: The Impact of Art on Fashion and Fashion on Art

by Alice MacKrell

Long overdue is this look at a centuries-old love the close relationship between art and fashion. From the Renaissance, when painters first sought to accurately capture the form, color, and texture of clothing, to today, when models strut down the runway in virtual works of art, the influence has flowed both ways. Illustrated throughout with paintings, designer sketches, and fashion plates, this groundbreaking study includes a chronology of art movements and appendices of fashion designers and fashion houses. It will provide a wealth of eye-opening insights to those who visit showrooms and galleries, and a treasury of creative inspiration for workers in studios and ateliers.

Genres: Fashion, Art, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2005

Reviews

[Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a word: disappointing. Even when I picked it up and began flicking through it in the library, I knew it was going to let me down. But for some reason I felt compelled to hire it.

I'm not entirely sure what I was looking for when I picked it up and began reading it. I love finding the inspiration behind fashion and different collections, so I suppose it was something like that. Or maybe it was more to do with how art is expressed through fashion. I'm still not sure.

I found the text to be rather dry and difficult to get through at some points. Furthermore, the page numbers and descriptions for the artwork in the book didn't always correspond.

The first half of the book, up until the art nouveau/deco chapter and beyond, was more about how fashion was depicted through art, and how the artists painted/sketched the garments. From the early twentieth century onwards, it was more how art impacted fashion. This split in direction was a little too obvious.

While it did have some interesting notes, it wasn't enough to really hold my attention for long.