When Art Meets Fashion: Rodarte and Vincent Van Gogh
An extraordinary bequest, from a special benefactor to The Darnell Collection, were two dresses by the American sister's, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who design under the label, Rodarte (their mother's maiden name).
Inspired by the dream world of the Post Impressionist painter, Vincent Van Gogh, their 2012 collection integrated Van Gogh's loose, painterly brushstrokes into their fine, precise and detailed embroidery and patterns. This added to their already romantic design ethos for which every detail is meticulously thought through, some details intricately hand stitched in the old-world techniques favoured by the master couturiers.
This concept of 'art meets fashion' is exciting and brings a new layer to the different inspirations designers choose to follow.
My friends and respected fashion authors, Alison Kubler and Mitchell Oakley Smith, talk this through further in their book 'Art/Fashion in the 21st Century' (Thames & Hudson).
