Art School

ONE OF the most exciting trends to hit this season’s catwalks was the collision of art and fashion, a current running through all the most influential of spring/summer collections. Designers embraced their artistic license, playing with sculpted shoes, using the face as a blank canvas for dramatic make-up and making every outfit a masterpiece. This is a trend set to inject some much needed colour and fun into our tired winter wardrobes.

Galliano took the lead with this back in January when he revealed a couture collection with a theme of decadence, basing the outfits on Victorian paintings. Taking inspiration from this artistic theme, other key looks for the season have been ‘pop art’, ‘abstract’ and ‘art student’. A vast array of artistic influence was splashed all over a multiplicity of designer collections.

Luella and Marc Jacobs, ever the most quirky and fun of the top designer labels, showed their sense of humour with Luella displaying a collection with a pop art, cartoon theme, making batman the fashion icon of the moment. Jacobs took his bow at the end of his show carrying a trunk with an LCD screen showing Spongebob Squarepants. Other designers took things more seriously, with Moschino and Chloe opting for an ‘abstract’ look through the use of block colours and strong, bold patterns. Dolce and Gabbana’s gorgeous new floral prints have a painted effect and are set to be everywhere on the high street this season, with New Look providing the most convincing and affordable copy.

A similar burst of artistic creativity has occurred in make-up. A painterly approach was used with designers taking a bold attitude to makeup as an artistic statement. As Mac’s director Terry Barber stated: “Try thick, exaggerated eyeliner winged way out beyond the norm in single blocks of colour, crayoned over the whole lid in an Andy-Warhol, Pop-Art way”.

This trend is totally wearable, in spite of its wacky form at times, with many high street stores converting the trend tastefully and affordably. Johnathon Saunders for Topshop provides the most coveted high street purchase this season with his art inspired dresses and t-shirts. The artistic theme is also a great excuse for students to get thrifty and creative. Take a Primark grey t-shirt, splatter with some poster paints et voila, you have yourself an exact copy of a Dolce and Gabbana Jackson-Pollock inspired art-tee.

A perfect anecdote to winter blues, this spring’s art look allows us to unleash our inner artiste, stay ahead of the fashion pack and have lots of fun in the process.