ART DECO IN MODERN FASHION ART DECO - AN INTRODUCTION An art movement involving a mix of modern decorative art styles, largely of the 1920s and 1930s, whose main characteristics were derived from various avant-garde painting styles of the early twentieth century. Art deco works exhibit aspects of Cubism, RussianConstructivism and Italian Futurism — with abstraction, distortion, and simplification, particularly geometric shapes and highly intense colors — celebrating the rise of commerce, technology, and speed. The growing impact of the machine can be seen in repeating and overlapping images from 1925; and in the 1930s, in streamlined forms derived from the principles of aerodynamics. The name came from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, held in Paris, which celebrated living in the modern world. It was popularly considered to be an elegant style of cool sophistication in architecture and applied arts which range from luxurious objects made from exotic material to mass produced, streamlined items available to a growing middle class.
ART DECO FASHION In the 1920s, not only were architecture and art influenced by Art Deco, fashion was, too. Designers were inspired by the stage sets of the Ballet Russes, fabric designs and costumes from Leon Bakst and creations by the Wiener Werkstätte, just to name a few. Women's increased participation in sports, along with the introduction of energetic dance styles required a different type of dress, and technical advances resulted in the availability of new fabrics. These factors played a role in a true fashion revolution: fashion designers created new silhouettes and innovative details, and used new colors and luxurious fabrics. At least as important was the use of typical Art Deco patterns for textile decoration. ART DECO FASHION DESIGN contains more than a 1,000 beautiful fashion plates, including designs from famous Art Deco designers such as Paul Poiret, Charles Worth and Jean Patou. The 1920s fashion demonstrates how closely its development was linked to that of Art Deco; it explains how the arts and dress nourished each
other, one acting as an inspiration, the other as a medium. It also depicts the complexity and diversity of 1920s fashion, which amounted to so much more than the proverbial flapper's dress and the cloche hat. This period was characterized by a unique collaboration between artists of the avant-garde and fashion designers, who imbued fashion with their respective skills and visions. The avant-garde saw in fashion a new and exciting canvas on which to express their ideas; ballet, theatre, fashion illustration and cinema also offered arenas for artistic expression which, ultimately, would influence mainstream fashion. The emancipation of women and the general liberalism were central to the development of fashion design. The new casual look in fashion had sharp contrast to the corset fashions popular in the previous decades. With freedom of movement a priority, designers such as Jean Patou, Madeleine Vionnet, Erte , Gabrielle Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli created the first real style for the modern woman. In the late 1920s, a new streamlined design aesthetic dubbed Moderne (now known as Art Deco) combined Cubism’s geometric base with sinuous embellishments. Once again, textile patterns and fashion design echoed the trend. Shiny fabrics only enhanced the connection with the "speed" of modern life–and art. The dresses, coats, bathing suits, and evening wraps found in the Tirocchi shop, when placed chronologically, chart for the observer not only the changing silhouette of fashion, but reflect the fact that fashion was part of an aesthetic that was part and parcel of its time. From the chemise and cloche of the 1920s, echoing Cubist concerns, to the evening dresses of the 1930s, with the body-skimming silhouettes and reflective surfaces, each garment has a particular relationship to the art of its time. The designers of these garments–and by extension Anna and Laura Tirocchi and their clientele–were reflecting the developing aesthetic of the early twentieth century and asking the question, "What does it mean to be modern?" The Twentieth Century felt "new" to people. Advances in technology increased the speed of life and the speed of change. Artists and designers responded to this new age with their work. The Tirocchis and their customers watched modern trends with interest, and did their best to wrap themselves in clothes of a new age. The Art Deco style was the genre during the 1920s and 1930s affecting the decorative arts, fine arts and fashion .Throughout this period it was moment for women's clothing fashions
Art Deco design was above all modern that exemplified the boundless potential of a newly industrialized world. The characterizations of Art Deco include the use of materials such as sharkskin, zebra skin, zigzag and stepped forms, bold and sweeping curves, chevron patterns, and sunburst motif. The sunburst motif was used in such varied contexts as a lady's shoe. It was a mainstream in consumerism that was stressed in the great fashion magazines as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar to the emergence of the New Woman in American society. Modern elements included echoing machine and automobile patterns and shapes such as stylized gears and wheels, or natural elements such as sunbursts and flowers. The corset was definitively eliminated making the flat and square dresses of the 1920s an ideal canvas to display motifs of the Art Deco period. Skirts were shortened and the female figure became formless and androgynous (sexless) - the waistline dropped to the hips or simply ceased to exist. In the 1930s the waistline moved to its natural position. Nylon, satin, silk and crepe the most prevalent of materials used to make fine figure defining dresses. Fabric was cut diagonally to take advantage of its elasticity to show formation of what it covered. Skirts were made longer while the legs were allowed to be seen via long slits in the dresses and the shoulders were broadened by padded shoulder insert The Art Deco of the 20s, with its geometric motifs and bright, bold colors superlative represents the best and purest forms of the decorative art period. Reaching its bold point between 1925 through 1935, the classical, symmetrical, rectilinear style of Art Deco, drew inspiration from other art movements such as Cubism, Futurism, and influence of the Bauhaus and became the dominant art form of Paris between 1920 through 1930. Tamara deLempicka was the artist who pursued the Arts Decoratifs style, derived from the World's fair held in 1925, formerly titled the Exposition Internationales des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes that showcased French luxury good Sexy, modern and unabashedly consumer-oriented was the new Art Deco style. Motifs were borrowed from Japan, Africa, ancient Egtyptian and Mayan cultures to create novel visual effects (Benton, 2003). French pochoir prints from the glorious Art Deco era presented woman's fashion designs in their most original era. The clothing was revolutionary from designers such as Charles Worth, Jean Patou, Paul Poiret, Lucien Lelong and Joseph Paquin The jewelry from the era exploded with color, drama of form and juxtaposition of texture and contour. Designs included buckles, clips,
belts, mirrors, pendants, cigarette cases, rings, chains, necklaces, watchbands, brooches, studs and charms
ART DECO IN MODERN FASHION Fashion Constantly Takes inspiration from art, era gone by etc. Art Deco influences are finding their way into modern fashion. Not tied entirely to the formal start and end of the Art Deco era, the influence begins with earlier Art Nouveau and follows right through to the glamour of 40s silver screen starlets.The geometric shapes, curved lines and exotic influences that defined the era. The Icons and Influences: • • • •
Tamara de Lempicka 1940s Power dressing – Katherine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall The Chrysler Building Cubism
The Elements: Sophistication • Glamorous dresses with geometric details • Wide-leg pants • Egyptian themed jewellery – scarab beetles, turquoise, coral • Gold • jewellery and accessories in quirky and exotic shapes; lucite and bakelite; and 30s style hats •