“Each garments and buildings are the shell through which man lives” designer Tom Ford.
Style is a microcosm, a second pores and skin that man can select for himself. The primary to match clothes to his work as an architect was Vitruvius, who lived through the time of Imperator Caesar Augustus (63 c. BC -14 c. AD). In his treatise “On Structure” he wrote: “From the great thing about the cased physique we go to columns one-eighth of their top in thickness; the place a person has his toes – the column has its base. The capitol resembles the human kind with curls; it’s ornamented as a wreath adorns a hairdo. The flutes tracing the physique of the column are like folds of fabric. “
Paco Rabanne, one of many key designers of the 60’s, is understood for his experiments with paper, plastic and metallic, supplies atypical for trend. As an alternative of scissors, needles and thread, he used pliers, screwdrivers and hammers. He’s extra of a builder than a tailor.
A graduate of the Politecnico di Milano, Gianfranco Ferre is usually in comparison with the excellent architect of the early twentieth century, Frank Lloyd Wright. He has all the time been identified for his exact volumes and excellent shapes, and his well-known shirts appear to be not sewn however comprised of white crisp paper.
The architectural previous generally helps to create garments that aren’t monumental, however very sensible andcomfortable garments. Within the phrases of Soso Chanel: “Style and structure are a query of proportions”. Over the centuries, the hyperlink between structure and trend has change into robust by the realisation that each fields share comparable concepts and rules based mostly on kind. The connection between trend and structure might be seen when trend attracts inspiration from parts associated to structure, such because the expertise used, monumentality, legal guidelines of optics and gravity.
Nonetheless, structure additionally takes the weather of trend design as an idea and inspiration – the concept of wrapping, weaving and draping. The tandem of trend and structure not solely feed off the identical concepts, they even use the identical skilled phrases: texture, decoration, sketch, dimension, picture. Within the 90s of the twentieth century, architect Jan Kaplicky, who was then dwelling in Prague, tried to design garments. However one of the best “garment” he created was the streamlined metallic cowl that adorned the brand new Selfridge’s Division Retailer constructing in Birmingham. “We confronted the identical downside as Paco Rabanne did within the 60s, Kaplicky reckons. ‘We needed to create a canopy that was versatile sufficient, as a result of the form of the constructing was fairly advanced. We needed to create a canopy out of small items.” Many architects are afraid to be influenced by trend, however they unknowingly soak up it. Style is just too influential. It’s all the time looking out for brand spanking new kinds and supplies.
Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid as soon as famous, “Structure and trend are based mostly on construction and kind and switch necessities equivalent to clothes and housing, into artwork.”
Each structure and trend are united by the concept of artwork, which serves as the muse for each fields. With out artwork, there could be neither trend nor structure. Style designers and architectural designers might be seen as artists who create artworks. High fashion attracts inspiration from all sources, from the pure world to the visible arts. However maybe there isn’t any higher synergy than between trend designers and designers.
Whereas structure provides us the house we reside in, Haute Couture is created to present us WEARABLE ART. True, structure has a unique timeline.
Writer Marina Geisler Fedan
Designer, journalist, artwork historian
@marina_geisler_fedan
