historical influences

Suit by Junya Watanabe from the Spring 2010 collection (all looks presented here are from the same season). Watanabe uses a tartan plaid for the suiting. The tartan is particularly associated with the Scotch people and is a significant element in portriture from this area. A portrait of John Campbell by William Mosman displays the tartan worn by a wealthy aristocrat in 1749. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mosman;_John_Campbell_1749.jpg

The type of weave of the tartan itself was also considered an art form. Tartans were woven for entire communities and would serve as an identifying marker when the wearer was abroad. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan





Shirt by Italian company Iceberg, founded by Silvio and Giuliana Gerani. The blocks of color arranged into composition, recall the Fauvist movement of the early 20th Century. Most notable of the Fauves was Henri Matisse, who would gain reputation for his bold use of color without outline. As Matisse grew elder, his representational skills declined with his sight, resulting in the bold "stenciled" style of painting he became noted for. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Matisse










Shirt by Alexander McQueen. This shirt employs a quilting pattern which draws from the American Folk Art of hand quilting blankets. The style used here creates its color pattern geometrically -- almost entirely using a single triangular fabric scrap tessellated to form the overall textile pattern. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_quilts












Suit by Alexander McQueen. This second piece from McQueen's Spring 2010 collection recalls the spilled paint style of Jackson Pollock's paintings. Pollock was a premier figure in the American Expressionist painting style of the 1950s. Paintings by Pollock were instantly recognizable for the "drip method" Pollock employed of layering multiple layers of paint drizzles over one another. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock

Also, enjoy this website inspired by Pollock: http://www.jacksonpollock.org/








Jacket from Calvin Klein. The exposed minimalism of this jacket is evocative of the post-modern period of art and thought. The encapsulating effect of the strips of translucent fabric show influence from the environment artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude (married couple Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon). Famous for their Surrounded Islands (in which they encircled islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with vinyl tarps) and recent The Gates (a series of archways with orange tarps hanging from them), the dividing/surrounding elements of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's art is evident. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude#Running_Fence






Coat and trousers set from Kenzo Takada's KENZO brand. Both garments have been printed on -- or perhaps painted on -- in a dark indigo paint/pigment/dye. The style of the color applique is reminiscent of many contemporary Japanese artist who utilize mix media. An example of this style is found in Taiwanese-American artist James Jean (http://www.jamesjean.com/). Watercolors mixed with pencils and digital assist create flowing images that are grotesquely soothing.