Dominican Scholar

Senior Theses Student Scholarship

5-2018

Wearing Art History: Fashion as an Art

Sofia Killion
Dominican University of California

https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2018.HCS.ST.06

Survey: Let us know how this paper benefits you.

Recommended Citation
Killion, Sofia, "Wearing Art History: Fashion as an Art" (2018). Senior Theses. 96.
https://doi.org/10.33015/dominican.edu/2018.HCS.ST.06

This Senior Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at
Dominican Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Theses by an authorized
administrator of Dominican Scholar. For more information, please contact
[email protected].
 Wearing Art History: Fashion as an Art
By

Sofia Killion

A culminating thesis submitted to the faculty of Dominican University of California

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and
Cultural Studies

San Rafael, CA

May 2018
 Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Wearing Art History: Fashion as an Art ......................................................................................... 5
Balenciaga ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Dolce and Gabbana: Sicilian Baroque and Byzantine .................................................................. 12
L’Wren Scott: Gustav Klimt’s Muses........................................................................................... 19
Isabelle de Borchgrave: Portraits .................................................................................................. 26
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 34

2
 Table of Figures
Figure 1 The Duchess of Alba, 1797, Francisco Goya (Courtesy of WikiCommons)...................................................7
Figure 2 cocktail dress of rose peau de soie and black lace, winter1948, Balenciaga, photo by Joe
McDonald/FAMSF (Courtesy of ARThound) dress of black silk crepe and "chou" wrap of black silk gazar,
winter 1967, photo from Balenciaga Archives, Paris (Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com) ....................................7
Figure 3 Saint Francis in Prayer, 1580-85, El Greco (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Balenciaga coat and dress, 1955
(Courtesy of harpersbazaar.com) .........................................................................................................................8
Figure 4 Christ Carrying the Cross, ca. 1577-87, El Greco (Courtesy of WikiCommons) evening dress, embroidered
gazar, August 1959 (Courtesy of The Met)..........................................................................................................8
Figure 5 Infanta Margarita, 1654-55, Diego Velázquez (Courtesy of WikiCommons) "Infanta" dress, 1939, silk,
Balenciaga (Courtesy of The Met) .......................................................................................................................9
Figure 6 "envelope dress", June 1967, Balenciaga (Courtesy of harpersbazaar.com) ................................................. 10
Figure 7 Catania Cathedral, Sicily, Italy, 1078-1093 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012
Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) ........................................................................................ 14
Figure 8 The choir of the nuns in the Church of San Benedetto, Catania, Sicily, Italy, 1708-1763 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) ............... 15
Figure 9 View of the main apse, featuring Christ Pantocrator, Monreale Cathedral, 1198, Sicily, Italy (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) ............... 16
Figure 10 Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) ................................. 18
Figure 11 Danaë, Gustav Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) .......................................................................... 20
Figure 12 Hygieia (detail of Medicine), Gustav Klimt, 1900 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013
Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) ........................................................................................ 20
Figure 13 Judith I (and the head of Holofernes), Gustav Klimt, 1901 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall
2013 Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) ........................................................................................................ 21
Figure 14 Portrait of Johanna Staude, Gustav Klimt, 1917 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013
L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) .................................................. 23
Figure 15 The "Hardwick Hall" portrait of Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas Hilliard, 1599 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Elizabeth I Court Dress, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2001 (Courtesy of obviousmag.org) ......... 27
Figure 16 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo Bronzino, ca. 1545 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Eleanora of Toledo, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2006 (Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com) 28
Figure 17 Woman in Neapolitan Costume, Massimo Stanzione, ca. 1635 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) "Neapolitan
Woman," Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2010, inspired by a portrait by Massimo Stanzione (Courtesy of
nytimes.com) ...................................................................................................................................................... 30

3
 Abstract
Fashion is often seen as a frivolous craft which many believe to lack substance. Fashion however

has for generations drawn inspiration from one of the very things that defines culture and that is

art. Some of the most successful fashion designers of our time have drawn inspiration directly

from masterpieces of art. The Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) was

heavily inspired by his countrymen including Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), Francisco de

Zurbarán (1598-1664), and Francisco Goya (1746-1828). The Italian fashion designers

Domenico Dolce (1958-present) and Stefano Gabbana (1962-present) created a Fall 2013

collection that was significantly inspired by the Byzantine mosaics from the Sicilian Cathedral of

Monreale. The American fashion designer L’Wren Scott (1964-2014) created a Fall 2013

collection entitled Allegory of Love, her inspiration for this collection was the Austrian painter

Gustav Klimt’s (1862-1918) “Golden Phase”, as well as his muse at the time, Adele Bloch-

Bauer. The Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave (1946-present) has created paper costumes

inspired by well known paintings from art history. Through the analysis of exhibition catalogues,

secondhand interviews, fashion collection reviews, and art history textbooks, this paper shows

why these contemporary fashion designers were inspired by these iconic artists and their artwork.

This thesis analyzes these artists and their artwork, as well as the subsequent fashion that arose

through inspiration from their art. This paper demonstrates fashion is not simply a craft, nor a

frivolity.

4
 Wearing Art History: Fashion as an Art
Fashion is often seen as a frivolous craft which many believe to be lacking in substance.

Fashion however has for generations drawn inspiration from one of the very things that defines

culture and that is art. Some of the most successful fashion designers of our time have drawn

their inspiration directly from masterpieces of art. The Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal

Balenciaga (1895-1972) was heavily inspired by his fellow countrymen including Diego

Velázquez (1599-1660), Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664), and Francisco Goya (1746-1828).

The Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce (1958-present) and Stefano Gabbana (1962-

present) created a Fall 2013 collection that was significantly inspired by the Byzantine mosaics

from the Cathedral of Monreale on the island of Sicily. The American fashion designer L’Wren

Scott (1964-2014) created a Fall 2013 collection entitled Allegory of Love, her inspiration for

this collection was the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s (1862-1918) “Golden Phase”, as well as

his muse at the time, Adele Bloch-Bauer. The Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave (1946-

present) has created paper costumes inspired by well known paintings from art history. Through

the analysis of exhibition catalogues, secondhand interviews, fashion collection reviews, and art

history textbooks, this paper shows in what ways these contemporary fashion designers were

inspired by these iconic artists and their artwork. This paper analyzes these artists and their

artwork, as well as the subsequent fashion that arose through inspiration from their art. Fashion

as an art has the powerful ability to evoke emotions and meaning within humans. Fashion is not

simply a craft, it is a cultural phenomenon that has existed for hundreds of years, and continues

to thrive to this day. Art and fashion are a reflection of our humanity, and one cannot exist

without the other.

5
 Balenciaga
From the very start of his career as a fashion designer, Cristobal Balenciaga’s designs

were heavily influenced by Spanish culture and by many ionic Spanish artists. These artists

notably include the Romantic painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), the Mannerist, El Greco

(1541-1614), the Baroque painters: Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) and Francisco de Zurbarán

(1598-1664), the Cubist painter Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), and the Surrealist painter Joan Miró

(1893-1983). Although Balenciaga’s designs were very much imprinted by Spanish art history,

according to his close friend Bettina Ballard, a fashion editor at Vogue, he knew “little about his

country or its art. I could never drag Cristóbal into the Prado with me” (Bowles 35). Although

Balenciaga may have disavowed his knowledge of Spanish art, his designs exhibited the obvious

influence of Spanish culture especially the art, the royal court and religious life. The culture that

he grew up in was infused into his designs by osmosis.

The abundant draperies and severe vestments which clothed the saints and clerics of the

seventeenth-century painter Francisco de Zurbarán were constantly referenced by him,

alongside debts to the portraits of Velázquez and Goya and clear homages to folk dress.

The reluctant designs carried a dramatic impact magnified by Balenciaga’s ability to

develop a historical quotation into something uncompromisingly contemporary.

(Breward 82-83)

Balenciaga effortlessly transferred the essence of Spain and its art into his contemporary designs.

Francisco de Goya’s portrait paintings of aristocratic women provided Balenciaga

inspiration for his designs throughout much of his career. Some of Balenciaga’s designs were

directly or indirectly inspired by Goya’s portraits. One portrait that surely inspired one of

6
Balenciaga’s designs was The Duchess of Alba, 1797 (see

figure 1). In the portrait the Duchess is wearing a maja

inspired dress. The maja were the lower classes of

Spanish society who wanted to differentiate themselves

from the middle class Francophiles. The maja style of

dress was infused with Spanish regional style of dress

which helped the maja’s display their Spanish pride. The

Duchess of Alba, by wearing this dress, also wanted to

emphasize her national pride and identity (Bowles 36).

Figure 1 The Duchess of Alba, 1797, Francisco
Goya (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
The black lace and overlay of the dress that the Duchess is

wearing in the portrait (see figure 1) can also be Figure 2 cocktail dress of rose peau de soie and
black lace, winter1948, Balenciaga, photo by
Joe McDonald/FAMSF (Courtesy of
seen as the inspiration for several of the ARThound) dress of black silk crepe and "chou"
wrap of black silk gazar, winter 1967, photo
from Balenciaga Archives, Paris (Courtesy of
Balenciaga’s designs, one being a studio drawing huffingtonpost.com)Figure 3 The Duchess of
Alba, 1797, Francisco Goya (Courtesy of
of a ball gown from Balenciaga’s 1957 winter WikiCommons)

collection. The gown’s silk-satin ribbons and silk Figure 4 cocktail dress of rose peau de soie and
black lace, winter1948, Balenciaga, photo by
fringe tassels has a similar look to the silk-gauze Joe McDonald/FAMSF (Courtesy of
ARThound) dress of black silk crepe and "chou"
wrap of black silk gazar, winter 1967, photo
flowers that can be seen on the skirt of the from Balenciaga Archives, Paris (Courtesy of
huffingtonpost.com)
Figure 2 cocktail dress of rose peau de soie and black
Duchess’s dress. A cocktail dress from lace, winter1948, Balenciaga, photo by Joe
McDonald/FAMSF (Courtesy of ARThound) dress of black
Figure 5 Saint Francis in Prayer, 1580-85, El
Balenciaga’s winter 1948 collection echoes silk crepe and "chou" wrap of black silk gazar, winter
Greco (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Balenciaga
1967, photo from
coat andBalenciaga
dress, 1955Archives, Paris
(Courtesy of (Courtesy of
huffingtonpost.com)
harpersbazaar.com)Figure 6 cocktail dress of
inspiration from the 1797 portrait (see figure 2). rose peau de soie and black lace, winter1948,
Balenciaga, photo by Joe McDonald/FAMSF
the Duchess’s
The fichu, which is the small shawl that is draped overFigure 10(Courtesy
Saint Francis in Prayer, dress
ofshoulders,
ARThound) 1580-85, El Greco
of black
is mimicked silkon
(Courtesy crepe
of WikiCommons)
and "chou" wrapBalenciaga
of blackcoat
silk and dress,
gazar,
1955 (Courtesy
winterof1967,
harpersbazaar.com)Figure
photo from Balenciaga 11 cocktail
Archives,
the cocktail dress through the attached collar on the cocktail dress.
dress of rose peau
Paris Balenciaga
de soie of
(Courtesy reinterpreted
andhuffingtonpost.com)Figure
black lace, winter1948,the 7
Balenciaga,Thephoto by Joe
Duchess McDonald/FAMSF
of Alba, 1797, Francisco (Courtesy
Goya of
ARThound) dress of of
(Courtesy black silk crepe and "chou" wrap of
mantilla that the Duchess wears in the portrait. The mantilla
black silkisgazar, lace WikiCommons)
the winter scarf that is
1967, photo worn
from over the
Balenciaga
Archives, Paris (Courtesy of huffingtonpost.com)
Figure 8 cocktail dress of rose peau de soie and
black lace, winter1948, Balenciaga, photo by
Figure 12Joe
Saint Francis in Prayer,(Courtesy
McDonald/FAMSF 1580-85,ofEl Greco
(Courtesy ARThound)
of WikiCommons)
dress ofBalenciaga coat and
black silk crepe anddress,
"chou"7
1955 (Courtesy of harpersbazaar.com)
wrap of black silk gazar, winter 1967, photo
from Balenciaga Archives, Paris (Courtesy of
huffingtonpost.com)Figure 9 The Duchess of
Alba, 1797, Francisco Goya (Courtesy of
duchess’s head in the 1797 portrait. In a dress

Balenciaga designed for the winter of 1967 he

created a voluminous cape (see figure 2) that

covers the head of the model in the same

manner that a mantilla does (Bowles 36). This

cape demonstrates that Balenciaga had the

vision and ability to reinvent shapes into

wearable and contemporary fashion. Details

Figure 3 Saint Francis in Prayer, 1580-85, El Greco (Courtesy
of WikiCommons) Balenciaga coat and dress, 1955 (Courtesy of
and silhouettes from religious art by the harpersbazaar.com)

Mannerist El Greco can be seen in Balenciaga’s designs. The morose mood and colors of El
Figure 18 Christ Carrying the Cross, ca. 1577-87, El Greco
Greco’s paintings are echoed through the drama (Courtesy of WikiCommons) evening dress, embroidered gazar,
of the silhouettes that Balenciaga created. The
August 1959 (Courtesy of The Met)Figure 19 Saint Francis in
Prayer, 1580-85, El Greco (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
Balenciaga coat and dress, 1955 (Courtesy of
silhouette of the robes Saint Francis of Assisi (see
harpersbazaar.com)

figure 3) can be seen in a brown gabardine raincoat

Figure 20 Christ Carrying the Cross, ca. 1577-87, El Greco
(Courtesy of WikiCommons) evening dress, embroidered gazar,
that was designed for the 1965 summer collection.
August 1959 (Courtesy of The Met)

The hood and drapery of the gabardine is strikingly

Figure 21 Infanta Margarita, 1654-55, Diego Velázquez
similar to the Franciscan robes (Bowles 112). (Courtesy of WikiCommons) "Infanta" dress, 1939, silk,
Balenciaga (Courtesy of The Met)Figure 22 Christ Carrying the
Cross, ca. 1577-87, El Greco (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
Another coat that Balenciaga created that is similar
evening dress, embroidered gazar, August 1959 (Courtesy of
The Met)Figure 23 Saint Francis in Prayer, 1580-85, El Greco
(Courtesy
Figureof 4WikiCommons)
Christ Carrying Balenciaga
the coat and dress, 1955
in silhouette to the Franciscan robe, was a black (Courtesy ofca.
harpersbazaar.com)
Cross, 1577-87, El Greco
(Courtesy of WikiCommons)
coat and dress he designed circa 1955 (see figure evening dress, embroidered
gazar,
Figure August
24 Christ 1959 (Courtesy
Carrying the Cross, ca. 1577-87, El Greco
of The
(Courtesy of Met)
WikiCommons) evening dress, embroidered gazar,
3). The exaggerated collar of the coat replicates August 1959 (Courtesy of The Met)Figure 25 Saint Francis in
Prayer, 1580-85, El Greco (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
the bagginess of the Franciscan hood. The coat’sBalenciaga
Figurecoat and dress,
26 Infanta 1955 (Courtesy of
Margarita,
harpersbazaar.com)
1654-55, Diego Velázquez
(Courtesy of WikiCommons)
wide sleeves are comparable to the billowing sleeves"Infanta"
of the Franciscan robes. Balenciaga further
dress, 1939, silk,
Balenciaga (Courtesy of The
Met)Figure 27 Christ Carrying
demonstrated that he had the ability to extract an essence from a dreary painting such as El
the Cross, ca. 1577-87, El
Greco (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) evening dress,
embroidered gazar, August
1959 (Courtesy of The Met)
8
Figure 28 Infanta Margarita,
1654-55, Diego Velázquez
(Courtesy of WikiCommons)
Greco’s Christ Carrying the Cross (see figure 4) and then use it to create a delicately

embellished white evening gown (see figure 4). At first glance the painting and the dress appear

to have no relation to one another, however, upon closer examination, one can see the striking

correlation between the two. The silver embroidery on the gown resembles in appearance the

crown of thorns that wrapped around Christ’s head in El Greco’s painting (Bowles 134, 135).

Balenciaga brought beauty to a gruesome act.

The paintings of the Spanish Baroque painter, Diego Velázquez provided Balenciaga

with a staple source of inspiration for his designs. Velázquez’s well-known portraits from the

1650s of the Infanta Margarita and her

ladies-in-waiting, inspired

Balenciaga’s winter 1939 collection

(Bowles 35). The Infanta Margarita

(see figure 5) portrait of 1654 inspired

Balenciaga’s “Infanta” evening dress,

which was made of ivory silk satin and

black silk velvet (see figure 5). The

Figure 5 Infanta Margarita, 1654-55, Diego Velázquez (Courtesy of
black scallop-edged lace trim of the WikiCommons) "Infanta" dress, 1939, silk, Balenciaga (Courtesy of
The Met)

infanta’s dress is mimicked in Balenciaga’s design with the black trim on his gown (Bowles 35).
Figure 34 "envelope dress", June 1967, Balenciaga (Courtesy of
harpersbazaar.com)Figure 35 Infanta Margarita, 1654-55, Diego
The drapery and volume seen in the attire of the saints and angels of Zurbarán paintings
Velázquez (Courtesy of WikiCommons) "Infanta" dress, 1939, silk,
Balenciaga (Courtesy of The Met)
also provided inspiration for Balenciaga’s designs. The yellow drapery in Zurbarán’s
Figure 36 "envelope dress", June 1967, Balenciaga (Courtesy of
Annunciation can be seen in the straw-yellow satin stole that is styled with a severe black
harpersbazaar.com)

evening column gown from Balenciaga’s winter 1951 collection (Bowles 35). The “volumes of
Figure 37 Catania Cathedral, Sicily, Italy, 1078-1093 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear
looped fabric falling into trains depicted by Zurbarán in his portraits of […] Saint Casilda of
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 38 "envelope dress", June
1967, Balenciaga (Courtesy of harpersbazaar.com)Figure 39 Infanta
Margarita, 1654-55, Diego Velázquez (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
"Infanta" dress, 1939, silk, Balenciaga (Courtesy of The Met)

9
Figure 40 "envelope dress", June 1967, Balenciaga (Courtesy of
harpersbazaar.com)Figure 41 Infanta Margarita, 1654-55, Diego
Velázquez (Courtesy of WikiCommons) "Infanta" dress, 1939, silk,
Balenciaga (Courtesy of The Met)
Toledo” are exhibted in the pink taffeta that wraps the upper bodice of a summer 1951

embroidered ivory evening sheath that is finished with a giant bow” (Bowles 35). Surrealist

painters, specifically Joan Miró also had their impact on Balenciaga’s silhouettes. These new

silhouettes were formed from Balenciaga’s ability to sculpturally manipulate fabric.

… Joan Miró —who used biomorphic abstract shapes to create ‘otherness’ not seen

before in the fine arts. The silhouettes of these organic shapes lent themselves to

sculpture as well as painting. Miró and Ernst painted personal themes by using amoebic

signs and symbols seemingly painted in a spontaneous way, while Arp sculpted

curvilinear shapes that related to the organic forms of nature and suggested growing

body parts. (English 58)

Balenciaga’s most prominent evening gowns were created

from stiff fabrics that were molded into sculptural

statement dresses. One of these creations was his “envelope

dress” from 1967 (see figure 6) in the austere black that

Balenciaga was known for. The black alluded to the

orthodoxy of Spain, as well as Balenciaga’s devoutness.

Balenciaga was hailed as being fashion’s Picasso.

“For like that painter, underneath all of his experiments

with the modern, Balenciaga has a deep respect for

tradition and a pure classic line” (Bowles 16). Balenciaga,

also like Picasso, started his career in Spain and honed his

talent in France (Bowles 16). Their creative style was seen Figure 6 “envelope dress", June 1967,
Balenciaga (Courtesy of
harpersbazaar.com)
as being parallel, “like the artist Picasso … Balenciaga
Figure 42 Catania Cathedral, Sicily, Italy,
1078-1093 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 10
43 "envelope dress", June 1967, Balenciaga
(Courtesy of harpersbazaar.com)
played with the abstraction of form and the revelation of the body as if these were two themes in

a piece of music … The result, too, was like Picasso’s fascinating oscillation between abstraction

and realistic representation, for Balenciaga offered a new form of fashion, not only an option for

fashion to represent the figure faithfully but also to flatter the figure in a splendid semi-fitted

succession of curves, construction, fabric and cut” (Bowles 36). Picasso and Balenciaga both

drew from Las Meninas, 1656 and created works in their own mediums. Picasso and Balenciaga

both experimented in form.

The exuberance at a Balenciaga show was testament to his art. As Audrey Hepburn was

quoted as saying to Vogue’s editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland at a Balenciaga show in the early

1960s, “why I wasn't frothing at the mouth at what I was seeing” (The Fashion Law). Balenciaga

manifested himself an artist in that much like Picasso he used the techniques of an artist in the

creation of his designs. Like Picasso who offered the art world a new form of art, Balenciaga

offered the world of fashion the excitement of a new perspective of the human form as art.

11
 Dolce and Gabbana: Sicilian Baroque and Byzantine
For the Italian fashion designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, Sicily has and

continues to be an inspiration for their designs. Stefano Gabbana was quoted saying: “There is so

much in Sicily, we could be doing this forever” (Blanks). The diverse Sicilian history, culture

and architecture has helped to influence many of their collections. Some of these inspirations

include: the Chinese Palace in Palermo (Spring 2016 men’s collection), the Spanish rule of Sicily

from 1516 to 1713 (Spring 2015 men’s collection), the Normans rule of Sicily 1030 to 1198 (Fall

2014 women’s collection), Greece’s colonization of Sicily that began in the 8th century B.C.E.

(Spring 2014 women’s collection), the Cathedral of Monreale, a great example of Norman

Architecture (Fall 2014 women’s collection), Sicily’s Baroque religious heritage (Fall 2012

women’s collection), “imagined evenings spent at Palermo’s Teatro Massimo opera house circa

1910” (Fall 2012 men’s collection), and they even used Palermo’s thriving vegetable market as

inspiration for the foodie prints they designed (Spring 2012 women’s collection) (Yotka). The

two collections that will be focused on in this chapter are their Fall 2014 women’s collection

which drew inspiration from the Cathedral of Monreale and their Fall 2012 women’s collection

which drew inspiration from Sicily’s Baroque architecture.

Dolce and Gabbana’s Fall 2012 women’s collection displays the many characteristics of

Italian Baroque architecture. This collection echoes the magnificence, grandeur, richness and the

highly ornate characteristics of the Late Baroque churches that are found on Sicily. After a

catastrophic earthquake in 1693 hit Sicily, entire cities had to be rebuilt, and from this palaces

and magnificent churches were built in the Sicilian Baroque style (Norberg-Schulz 305). The

Baroque style is known to have different definitions but a common link and that link is the

Roman Catholic Church.

12
 Baroque was seen as having knowingly distorted the sacred norms of classical design

based on the rules of the ancient Greeks and Romans that had been carefully

systematized in the Renaissance. The word is of course still used in much the same

sense today to describe anything elaborately or grotesquely ornate, whimsical or

bizarre. … the Baroque are [sic] closely linked to the seventeenth-century rise of

political absolution and the simultaneous revival of the Roman Catholic Church.

(Snodin et al. 74)

This collection perfectly coincides with the intent of the Baroque style, “ It was made to

persuade as well as impress, to be both rich and meaningful” (Snodin et al. 75). Dolce and

Gabbana’s Fall 2012 collection focused on the Baroque architecture as seen in the Catholic

Churches on Sicily.

One of the most well known Late Baroque churches on Sicily is the Catania Cathedral

which was rebuilt in the Baroque style after the 1693 earthquake hit. A dress (see figure 7) in the

collection shows a similarity in its structure and form to that of the facade of the Catania

Cathedral (see figure 7). The facade of the cathedral is grand and monumental in its stature and

appearance. Movement can be seen in the facade of the church, “which is articulated by the

superimposed freestanding columns indicating an undulating horizontal movement” (Norberg-

Schulz 308). In the Fall of 2012 collection there is a dress with gold embroidery which appears

to be vines, these also mimic movement and growth, two of the things the Catholic Church

wanted during the Counter Reformation. The silhouette of the dress echoes the silhouette of the

church, both being wide on the bottom and then sweeping upwards toward the top. The boning in

the corset of the dress is revealed through the sheer fabric and resembles the columns of the

13
facade; they both support their given structures. Both the dress and the facade generate an

impression that induce a sense of awe.

The interiors of the Sicilian Baroque churches were even more extravagant than their

facades; no expense was spared. When one enters a Baroque church, one is completely

enveloped by the many qualities that make a Baroque church, Baroque.

The Baroque style … was paradoxically both sensuous and spiritual; while a

naturalistic treatment rendered the religious image more accessible to the average

churchgoer, dramatic and illusory effects were used to stimulate piety and devotion

and convey an impression of the splendour of the divine. (“Baroque Art and

Architecture”)

The collection manifests these qualities in the 74 designs in the collection. Gold embroidery and

gold accouterments (see

figure 8) are showered across

the collection much like the

gold painted religious figures

and the gold trim that can be

seen throughout the Baroque

churches (see figure 8). The

drama of chiaroscuro, the

Figure 7 Catania Cathedral, Sicily, Italy, 1078-1093 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
“Italian term … that refers to Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

the balance and pattern of light and shade in a painting or drawing” (Tate), can be seen in the
Figure 50 The choir of the nuns in the Church of San Benedetto, Catania, Sicily, Italy,
1708-1763 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear
cathedral and is also replicated Collection
in the stark contrast
(Courtesy of the black 51
of Vogue.com)Figure fabrics
Cataniaand pure white
Cathedral, lace.1078-
Sicily, Italy, The
1093 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear
Collection
evening handbags in the collection have(Courtesy
intricateof Vogue.com)
designs that feature sequins, jewels, pearls, and

Figure 52 The choir of the nuns in the Church of San Benedetto, Catania, Sicily, Italy,
1708-1763 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012 Ready-to-Wear
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com) 14
beads which resemble the exquisite reliquaries that can be found in Baroque cathedrals. The

putti, which is Italian for a male toddler, were featured in many Italian Baroque paintings as well

as cathedrals. Dolce and Gabbana featured the putti along with Baroque bouquets on purses and

on several of the articles of clothing. The Baroque cathedrals during the Counter Reformation

inspired an aspiration for sanctity in their parishioners and this Dolce and Gabbana collection

echoes the sentiment of the Baroque cathedrals. “Baroque church ceilings thus dissolved in

painted scenes that presented vivid views of the infinite to the observer and directed the senses

toward heavenly concerns”

(“Baroque Art and Architecture”).

This collection thus takes the

viewer on a tour through an

Italian Baroque Church through

the splendor of the clothes. “The

Sicilian Baroque is in general

colorful and picturesque, although

Figure 8 The choir of the nuns in the Church of San Benedetto, Catania, Sicily,
it never approaches the formal Italy, 1708-1763 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2012
Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)
dissolution of Spanish

architecture” (Norberg-Schulz 308).

Figure 58 View of the main apse, featuring Christ Pantocrator, Monreale
Sicily is an island that has seen many 1198,
Cathedral, rulers come
Sicily, Italyand go, which
(Courtesy explainsDolce
of WikiCommons) why&the art is
Gabbana
Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 59 The
choir of the nuns in the Church of San Benedetto, Catania, Sicily, Italy, 1708-
so wonderfully diverse. David Talbot1763
Rice in ArtofofWikiCommons)
(Courtesy the ByzantineDolceEra, offersFall
& Gabbana a short summary of
2012 Ready-to-Wear
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)
Sicily’s relationship with the Byzantine Empire and its art:

In the early centuries Sicily was a part of the Byzantine Empire, but with the advance of Islam
Figure 60 View of the main apse, featuring Christ Pantocrator, Monreale
much of the island fell under MuslimCathedral,
domination as early
1198, Sicily, Italyas 662, and
(Courtesy its control Dolce
of WikiCommons) remained
& Gabbana
Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

15
Figure 61 Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of
Vogue.com)Figure 62 View of the main apse, featuring Christ Pantocrator,
Monreale Cathedral, 1198, Sicily, Italy (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce &
Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure
disputed until the arrival of the Normans in 1072, when a new and stable kingdom was founded

and the Muslims were finally expelled. Little, if anything, survives from the years of Byzantine

overlordship; it is to that of Norman domination that the most important Byzantine monuments

in Sicily are to be assigned, for nearly all the Norman rulers were active patrons of art, and

nearly all sought for craftsmen in the Byzantine world and sponsored works which were more

Byzantine than they were Western. The churches they built, though they usually adopted

longitudinal three-aisled plans of the West and were without the traditional Byzantine domes,

were mostly very Byzantine in detail. They constitute a group which may best be described by

the term “orientalizing”. (159)The Monreale Cathedral is an exceptional example of a Norman

Church. It was commissioned in 1174 by William II who was the King of Sicily from 1166 to

1189. William II wanted Monreale Cathedral to show “the magnitude of wealth, piety, and

artistic talent of the Norman kingdom” … “the new cathedral became the excuse to realign

control of the lands and resources,

balance the majority of political

power, and create an alliance with

the newly established pope” (5

Henry). Dolce and Gabbana’s Fall

2013 collection titled “Marvelous

Mosaics”, exemplified the wealth,

piety, and artistic talent exhibited in

the mosaics of Monreale cathedral.

One aspect of the cathedral that

shows this is the main apse, which Figure 9 View of the main apse, featuring Christ Pantocrator, Monreale
Cathedral, 1198, Sicily, Italy (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Dolce &
Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

16
Figure 66 Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection
(Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 67 View of the main apse, featuring Christ
Pantocrator, Monreale Cathedral, 1198, Sicily, Italy (Courtesy of
features Christ Pantocrator (see figure 9). In Orthodox iconography, this icon of Jesus Christ was

seen as an equal to God as well as eternal like God (Beck). Like William II, Dolce and Gabbana

hired artisans to create mosaics on the collection’s dresses, bags, and shoes. In a promotional

video for the collection Dolce and Gabbana make a connection between mosaic-making and

tailoring, “As the art of mosaic-making is a slow and precise one, achieved by placing single

piece next to the other, at the same time tailoring is made by single stitch after single stitch”

(Dolce and Gabbana). The same artistry that existed with the Byzantine mosaic-making is

present in the Dolce and Gabbana tailoring. The collection was beaded, bejeweled and sequined,

and it also featured royalty worthy crowns, earrings and necklaces. The first look in the

collection exemplifies many of these characteristics (see figure 9). Light brought the glittering

ornamentation on the garments to life. As the models came down the runway the mosaics on the

garments brought life to the images on the garments of “the prophets, saints, and angels” (Guida

49) that are featured in the Monreale cathedral. Life and light are significant elements of

Byzantine art. Gervase Mathew, an Oxford University Lecturer of Byzantine studies, states in his

book, Byzantine Aesthetics:

there is a recurring Byzantine association between Life and Light and between light

and the immaterial element in material things. Colour is conceived as light

materialized. … In Byzantine painting and mosaic there is often no relation between

the colour combination chosen and the natural tint. Changing colour schemes are

conceived in terms of rhythm. Perhaps both painting and mosaic were in some fashion

apprehended as music and the colour combinations seen as harmony.” (5)

Monreale Cathedral as a whole is unique cathedral due to its history. It is a Sicilian piece of

architecture but it was commissioned by a Norman ruler. The Norman architecture was a mix of

17
the Islamic with its arabesque forms, Byzantine with its mosaics and European with its blueprint

of a Western cathedral (Guida 5). Monreale exhibits the cultural diversity that was present in

Sicily at the time of the Norman rulership, “the mosaics have little that is purely Sicilian in them,

which suggests that several teams of workmen must have been brought from the Byzantine world

to do the work at Monreale, men who were familiar with the most up-to-date developments of

the penultimate decade of the twelfth century” (Rice 166, 167). The attributes featured in the

work of these artisans are seen echoed in the Dolce and Gabbana’s mosaic collection. One look

from the collection that demonstrates this artisanal work is a corset that appears to be made of

gold filigree that is embellished with gems (see figure

10). “Wind blown draperies” (Rice 166) are seen in the

long gowns of the collection. The intensity of the colors

red, blue, orange, and gold in the mosaics of Monreale

are also seen in the many looks of the collection. Like

the Monreale Cathedral itself, this collection is

mesmerizing.

In these collections alone Dolce and Gabbana

have exemplified fashion as art. Their translation of the

beauty that abounds in Sicily into garments that grace

Figure 10 Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-
Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)
the human body are no less exquisite than the
Figure
inspirations they were drawn from. Their ability to envision the 74 Danaë,
color, Gustav
the formKlimt,
and1907
the (Courtesy
light of ofa
WikiCommons)Figure 75 Dolce and Gabbana Fall
2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of
place into new forms that inspire and bring joy to the eye and spirit in the form of dress is art in
Vogue.com)

the ephemeral. Figure 76 Danaë, Gustav Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of

WikiCommons)

Figure 77 Hygieia (detail of Medicine), Gustav

Klimt, 1900 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren
Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection
(Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 78 Danaë, Gustav 18
Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)Figure 79
Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)
 L’Wren Scott: Gustav Klimt’s Muses
L’Wren Scott (1964-2014) an American Women’s Wear designer drew inspiration for

her fashion designs from various time periods in history, from art and from cultures that she had

observed and experienced in her fervent life. She implemented colors from the French post-

Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin’s paintings (Fall 2011 collection), from the English painter

David Hockney’s East Yorkshire landscapes with it’s radiant colors and from the German

Actress Marlene Dietrich’s graphic tailoring (Spring 2013 collection) (Horyn); these were some

of the luminaries who inspired her work. She conjointly incorporated into her creations

propaganda materials she had that dated back to the two World Wars (Resort 2013 collection),

from England during the 1900’s to World War I (Fall 2013 collection), and also included her

visions of beauty from the Japanese culture (Spring 2014 collection). The one collection that was

most heavily influenced by art was her Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear collection. “Her inspiration was

the artist Gustav Klimt's gilded depictions of his obsessive love for the Viennese socialite and

saloniste Adele Bloch-Bauer. Scott identified, ‘I'm as in love with what I do as Klimt was in love

with Adele’” (Blanks). The Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear collection showed influence from Klimt’s

paintings of Adele Bloch-Bauer, as well as of the other women he painted in his career. Like

Gustav Klimt, L’Wren Scott had a great appreciation for the shape and grace of the female form.

Klimt’s muses in his masterpieces are beautifully manifested in L’Wren Scott’s Fall 2013

Ready-to-Wear collection.

One of Klimt’s most large-scale and controversial commissions that he is known for are

“the series of monumental murals for the Great Hall of the University of Vienna” (Natter 46). He

was hired to paint allegories of the faculties of Medicine, Philosophy, and Jurisprudence, which

were meant to encircle the central picture of The Victory of Light over Darkness (Natter 49). The

19
murals caused major controversy due to the

nude women that he featured throughout them

as well as for a failing to properly represent

the themes of medicine, philosophy and

jurisprudence. The art critic, Angelica

Bӓumer offered another plausible reason for

this controversy surrounding the murals,

Surely the three sciences had always

been practiced by men? It was men

Figure 11 Danaë, Gustav Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons)
who pursued philosophy,

practiced medicine, made laws and Figure 82 Hygieia (detail of Medicine), Gustav Klimt, 1900
(Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-
Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 83 Danaë,
administered justice. But is it an Gustav Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)

accident that these sciences in Figure 84 Hygieia (detail of Medicine), Gustav Klimt, 1900
(Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-
German are feminine gender: ‘die’ Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

Philosophie, ‘die’ Medizin, ‘die’

Jurisprudenz? It is possible that Figure 85 Judith I (and the head of Holofernes), Gustav Klimt,
1901 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 86 Hygieia (detail of
Klimt intended his treatment to be Medicine), Gustav Klimt, 1900 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of
understood in this way, but it is also Vogue.com)Figure 87 Danaë, Gustav Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons)
Figure 12 Hygieia (detail of Medicine), Gustav Klimt, 1900
possible that to Klimt woman is the (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear
Collection
Figure (Courtesy
88 Hygieiaof(detail
Vogue.com)
of Medicine), Gustav Klimt, 1900
focus of all things, that, through her (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-
Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 89 Danaë,
Gustav Klimt, 1907 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
earthy, elemental essence, she is life itself, the all-determining and all-embracing being.
Figure 90 Judith I (and the head of Holofernes), Gustav Klimt, 1901
(10) (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Collection
(Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 91 Hygieia (detail of Medicine),
Gustav Klimt, 1900 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall
2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

20
Figure 92 Judith I (and the head of Holofernes), Gustav Klimt, 1901
(Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Collection
(Courtesy of Vogue.com)
Given the time and place in history, it is probably correctly conjectured that the men felt possibly

threatened by the presence and power of women in their university. The mural L’Wren Scott

drew inspiration from was the Medicine mural, specifically the section of the mural that featured

Hygieia (see figure 12). In Greek mythology Hygieia is the goddess of health. In this painting

there is a gold serpent wrapped around her left arm as she holds a bowl with water from the

Lethe in her right. Lethe was a mythological river in the underworld of Hades whose waters were

professed to cause drinkers to forget their past. From her inspiration of Klimt’s painting of

Hygieia, Scott designed a gown (see figure 12). This gown exudes the same quality of femininity

and of the power and strength of Klimt’s Hygieia in its use of its embellishment with the large

gold serpents slithering through the pattern and the vibrant blood red used in the textile and also

by the manner in which the gown hugs

the feminine body. The effect of the

gown on the runway is that of the

serpents in motion snaking along the

fabric with the movement of the gown.

Another gown in this collection

shows that it was inspired by two of

Klimt’s paintings, containing elements

from both of the paintings. The first

painting being Danaë (see figure 11),

painted in 1907/08. The painting depicts

Danaë, a figure from classical

Figure 13 Judith I (and the head of Holofernes), Gustav Klimt, 1901
(Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Collection
mythology who became an allegory of (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

Figure 98 Portrait of Johanna Staude, Gustav Klimt, 1917 (Courtesy of

WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-
21
to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)Figure 99 Judith I (and the
head of Holofernes), Gustav Klimt, 1901 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)
chastity due to her father, King Acrisius of Argos imprisoning her in a windowless chamber

within the court of the palace. Zeus, however, was able to reach her by turning himself into a

gold rain shower that came in through the skylight (Natter 550). Klimt and Scott, both took a

feminist point of view in their manifestations of this Greek mythological story. Klimt interpreted

the story of Danaë as a story of “desire and sexual fulfillment” (Natter 550). The feminist art

history point of view has two interpretations of Klimt’s Danaë. The first one being, Danaë is

seen as a woman simply pleasuring herself in solitude. In the second interpretation she is viewed

as sleeping, a prisoner dreaming of a golden rain that erotically possesses her (Natter 550).

In her design, Scott integrated the gold rain shower into her gown (see figure 13) as well as the

gold circular graphic print seen on Danaë’s sheer blanket. Scott’s design brought the sensuality

of Danaë to life through her gown. “Both in a veiled and in an open manner Klimt in countless

drawings and paintings professed his belief in sensuality, in sexuality as the mainspring of

human existence and the pursuit of happiness (Bӓumer 12). Both Klimt’s paintings and Scott’s

designs through their exuberant use of color and form contain an essence of the celebration of

life.

The other painting of Klimt’s that was also an influential inspiration to one of Scott’s

gowns (see figure 13) and indeed her entire Fall 2013 collection was, Judith I (see figure 13).

Scott’s collection celebrates the gold regality and femininity that is present in Judith I. Klimt’s

painting of Judith introduced a new perspective of how one should view her. “While Judith in the

Old Testament stands allegorically for the weak woman who only conquers the enemies of the

people of Israel with God’s help, in Klimt’s work, she has become the man-eating woman, the

femme fatale” (Natter 520). The gold in this painting illuminates the strength of women.

22
 This whole, pulsating body, no point of which is still, in which everything lives and

breathes, seems electrified by the jewelry sparkling around it. Red, green and blue stars

glitter from Judith’s neck, shine from her belt and scatter their lavishly colorful

reflections. This pomp is so intimately wedded to this body that one might think it was

born of its flesh, and it is impossible to conceive of any other raiment for these luminous

limbs than luminous gems. (Natter 520)

The gold in the gown Scott designed inspired by this painting, as well as the 23-karat gold

featured throughout the collection, which can be seen in the use of gold tattoos worn by the

models, in the gold embellished shoes and in the accessories, can be perceived as a statement of

decorative armor for women.

The last look (see figure 13) in Scott’s Klimt inspired collection was directly inspired by

Klimt’s painting, Portrait of

Johanna Staude (see figure

14). This painting is vibrant

due to the contrasting colors of

purple and turquoise in

Johanna’s fur-trimmed blouse

and the rusty orange backdrop

(Natter 583). The style of

Fauvism is present in this

painting. “In artistic terms,

Figure 14 Portrait of Johanna Staude, Gustav Klimt, 1917 (Courtesy of
meanwhile, the portrait makes WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear
Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)
unusually pointed reference to
Figure 106 The "Hardwick Hall" portrait of Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas
Hilliard, 1599 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Elizabeth I Court Dress, Isabelle De
Borchgrave, 2001 (Courtesy of obviousmag.org)Figure 107 Portrait of Johanna
Staude, Gustav Klimt, 1917 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 23
L'Wren Scott Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection (Courtesy of Vogue.com)

Figure 108 The "Hardwick Hall" portrait of Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas

the vitality of form and colour in French Fauvism and its European successors in its freshness,

painterly openness and generously conceived forms” (Natter 583). Like Klimt, Scott liked an

element of sensuality in her designs, “I like a very sexy silhouette, and I like to feel like when

you put something on, you zip yourself into it and you’re secure in there” (Larocca). This gown

has hundreds of beads sewn on to it, these also help to create the same abstract pattern seen in,

Portrait of Johanna Staude. This is an excellent example of Scott’s design process, “When I

start to explore something, I kind of don’t stop until I can push it as far as it can go” (L’Wren

Scott).

Like Gustav Klimt, L’Wren Scott loved the female form and celebrated that by creating

designs that would honor the feminine body, just as Klimt’s paintings have. Klimt saw fashion as

a vital part of his art.

he derived pleasure even from superficial adornment. But to this outward beauty he has

added an inner one, through his genius he has revealed the essential. Thus decoration

became art, superficiality became depth, fashion became beauty. He never denied

decoration, nor his liking for fashion. Gustav Klimt, as did so many of his best

contemporaries and especially his Succession friends, realized the importance of the total

work of art. It was art that would bring everything together in an ecstasy of joie de vivre

and in the service of beauty. (Bäumer 16)

Scott’s design’s served beauty, and served the female form, “she believed in everything that had

anything to do with ultimate femininity and sensuality” (Talley). Klimt and Scott both saw past

any superficiality of fashion straight to the essential importance of fashion in human culture.

L’Wren Scott found the way to project her artistic ideas through fashion and to thus create a

24
visually magnificent manifestation for the nourishment of the human spirit born from the love of

feminine beauty.

25
 Isabelle de Borchgrave: Portraits
Inspired by the fashion in fine art paintings, and seeing the fashion in the paintings itself as

an art Isabelle de Borchgrave has brought this vision full circle. In her interpretation of the

fashion she sees in paintings, she has brought to life works of art in the form of garments created

from paper. Some of her collections include: “‘Papiers à la Mode’ (Paper in Fashion), this takes a

fresh look at 300 years of fashion history from Elizabeth I to Coco Chanel. ‘Mariano Fortuny’

immerses us into the world of 19th century Venice. Plissés, veils and elegance are the

watchwords of that history. ‘I Medici’ leads us through the streets of Florence, were we come

across famous figures in their ceremonial dress” (Isabelle de Borchgrave.com). Essentially De

Borchgrave creates paper costumes that become extraordinary works of art. In order to make

paper look like a textile, she, with the help of her team and through a variety of techniques,

manipulates the paper by: “crumpling, pleating, braiding, feathering, and painting the surface”

(D’Alessandro 17). Her paper costumes are not replicas of the fashion seen in the paintings, but

rather her impression of the fashion (D’Alessandro 21). The pieces I focus on are three different

paper costumes from three different series of costumes De Borchgrave has created. The first

exhibition being Papiers à la Mode, the second series being focused on the Medici portraits, and

the last costume being the Neapolitan woman which De Borchgrave was inspired to create after

viewing the painting Woman in Neapolitan Costume painted by Massimo Stanzione, in the

collection at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, California.

In 1998, De Borchgrave put together her first paper costume exhibition titled Papiers à la

Mode at the Musée de l’Impression sur Étoffes in Mulhouse, France. The paper costumes in this

exhibit focused on “iconic looks from key periods in fashion history” (D’Alessandro 29). One of

the paper costumes that is an impressive recreation is that of Elizabeth I Court Dress, 2001, (see

26
figure 15) which was inspired by a portrait painting of Elizabeth I, painted in 1599 by the painter

Nicholas Hilliard (see figure 15). Queen Elizabeth I was a perfect fit in Papiers à la Mode, due

to the nature of the exhibition.

“De Borchgrave astutely

selected costumes worn by

legendary historical figures

whose very names conjure

visions of ideal beauty,

opulent dress, and extravagant

court life” (D’Alessandro 29).

De Borchgrave’s paper
Figure 15 The "Hardwick Hall" portrait of Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas Hilliard,
1599 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Elizabeth I Court Dress, Isabelle De Borchgrave,
costume of Elizabeth I is a 2001 (Courtesy of obviousmag.org)

toned-down version of the opulent court dress. The sheen seen on the skirt of the court dress in
Figure 114 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo
Bronzino, ca. 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Eleanora of Toledo, Isabelle De
the painting was recreated in the Borchgrave,
paper costume by using
2006 (Courtesy what appears to be silver 115
of isabelledeborchgrave.com)Figure paint.
The De
"Hardwick
Hall" portrait of Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas Hilliard, 1599 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Elizabeth I Court Dress, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2001 (Courtesy of
Borchgrave has managed to transform paper to make it appear as if it is a luxurious fabric.
obviousmag.org)

Although De Borchgrave chose not to decorate the exaggerated lace collar on the dress, such as
Figure 116 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo
Bronzino, ca. 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Eleanora of Toledo, Isabelle De
it is in the painting, it still gives the same effect of nobility. The skirt and part of the bodice of
Borchgrave, 2006 (Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com)

the court dress exhibit the imagery of nature that was popular at the time of the late sixteenth and
Figure 117 Woman in Neapolitan Costume, Massimo Stanzione, ca. 1635 (Courtesy
of WikiCommons) "Neapolitan Woman," Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2010, inspired by a
seventeenth centuries, portrait by Massimo Stanzione (Courtesy of nytimes.com)Figure 118 Portrait of
Eleanora of Toledo and her son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo Bronzino, ca. 1545
Oversized fruits, lush (Courtesy
flowers,ofand
WikiCommons) Eleanora ofanimals
small frolicking Toledo, Isabelle De Borchgrave,
are found among the2006
(Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com)Figure 119 The "Hardwick Hall" portrait of
Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas Hilliard, 1599 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
protagonists in even the most harrowing
Elizabeth biblical
I Court Dress, tales,
Isabelle De and these motifs
Borchgrave, themselves
2001 (Courtesy often
of obviousmag.org)

form the main subject of embroidery of the period. The seventeenth century saw a huge
Figure 120 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo
Bronzino, ca. 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Eleanora of Toledo, Isabelle De
Borchgrave, 2006 (Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com)Figure 121 The "Hardwick
Hall" portrait of Elizabeth I of England, Nicholas Hilliard, 1599 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) Elizabeth I Court Dress, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2001 (Courtesy of
obviousmag.org)

27
 increase in the availability of printed material, as well as in a general interest in gardening.

(Watt)

During this time period the wealthy citizens of England would import exotic flora for their

gardens. Written works on the subjects of botany and the hybridization of plants became a

popular choice for

leisure reading

during the

seventeenth century.

The garden had

become at this point

a multi-purpose

environment used for

entertainment
Figure 16 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo Bronzino,
purposes and also as ca. 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Eleanora of Toledo, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2006
(Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com)
a place for private

moments of tranquility.Figure 122 Woman in Neapolitan Costume, Massimo Stanzione, ca. 1635 (Courtesy of
Nature was"Neapolitan
WikiCommons) seen as aWoman,"
gift from GodDethat
Isabelle should 2010,
Borchgrave, therefore
inspiredbe
byhonored.
a portrait by
Massimo Stanzione (Courtesy of nytimes.com)Figure 123 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her
The celebration of sonand
nature Giovanni de’bounties
all its Medici, Agnolo Bronzino, ca. inspired
consequently 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons)
English Eleanora
embroiderers to of
Toledo, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2006 (Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com)

incorporate these themes of natural world into the composition of their craft (Watt). The skirt on
Figure 124 Woman in Neapolitan Costume, Massimo Stanzione, ca. 1635 (Courtesy of
De Borchgrave’s dress has less imagery
WikiCommons) thus Woman,"
"Neapolitan simplifying her
Isabelle De design, and
Borchgrave, making
2010, inspiredthe
by adress
portrait by
Massimo Stanzione (Courtesy of nytimes.com)Figure 125 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her
son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo Bronzino, ca. 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Eleanora of
appear more modest than the original
Toledo, Isabelle Dedesign. Although
Borchgrave, this court
2006 (Courtesy dress is made entirely of paper,
of isabelledeborchgrave.com)

De Borchgrave’s skill and talent could lead one to believe that this dress could very well be an
Figure 126 Woman in Neapolitan Costume, Massimo Stanzione, ca. 1635 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) "Neapolitan Woman," Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2010, inspired by a portrait by
authentic court dress from the Elizabethan
Massimo era ofand
Stanzione (Courtesy not a paper recreation.
nytimes.com)Figure 127 Portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her
son Giovanni de’ Medici, Agnolo Bronzino, ca. 1545 (Courtesy of WikiCommons) Eleanora of
Toledo, Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2006 (Courtesy of isabelledeborchgrave.com)

28
 In the Uffizi Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Florence, Italy, there is a painting that

inspired De Borchgrave. It is a portrait from 1545 of Eleonora of Toledo and her son Giovanni

de’ Medici painted by Agnolo Bronzino (see figure 16). “Uncompromising detail and linear

clarity characterized Bronzino’s work” (Thomas 262). It is these very characteristics that make

the textile of Eleonora’s gown striking, thus leading De Borchgrave in her inspiration to create a

paper costume from this painting. The textile in the painting was not the only thing that De

Borchgrave admired about the painting. “It is telling that De Borchgrave’s favorite Medici piece

is the dress of Eleonora of Toledo as painted by Bronzino. She was attracted to Eleonora’s rich

adornment of pearls and gold chains, pointing out that sixteenth-century Italian goldsmiths were

unrivaled at their craft” (D’Alessandro 63). Textiles played a significant role in Eleonora’s life.

When Eleonora moved from Spain to Italy she brought chests filled with Spanish fabric that she

used to decorate her walls (Stoeltie) “Eleonora’s dowry was comprised largely of Spanish

textiles. Therefore, the iconic dress that she wears is a symbol of this fortune and the riches she

brought from Spain. Richly brocaded, Bronzino is able to use the dress to show his mastery of

creating illusionistic textures” (Zappella). This portrait shows off Bronzino’s mastery of painting

textiles and showing their textures. This painting gave the message to others that the Medici

dynasty was strong, wealthy and that it would continue on through its heirs (Zucker and Harris).

“The costume and fabric are given such importance that the painting has almost become a still

life” (Thomas 262). This portrait exemplifies the pronouncement that fashion is power. De

Borchgrave’s paper costume of Eleonora’s gown shows an impeccable impression with a lighter

feel due to the material and the stark whiteness of the paper.

Although most of De Borchgrave’s costumes are inspired by historical figures painted by

well-known artists, there is one portrait that captivated De Borchgrave in which the subject is

29
nameless, and which inspired her to create a costume from it (see figure 17). The painting is

from 1635 and it is titled Woman in Neapolitan Costume, (see figure 17), it was painted by the

Baroque Italian painter Massimo Stanzione (1585-1658?).

“Stanzione’s personal style is an amalgam of artistic traits observed in the work of

seventeenth-century masters, in both Naples and Rome; his early dramatic Caravaggesque

extremes of light and dark are moderated by his subsequent exposure to Bolognese classicism”

(Nash et al. 62). This painting is an excellent example of Stanzione’s ability to work in extremes,

and not just in light and

dark but also in his subject

matter. The way in which

De Borchgrave copies

Stanzione’s work is by

being meticulous, not only

when it comes to the details

in the dress, but also in the Figure 17 Woman in Neapolitan Costume, Massimo Stanzione, ca. 1635 (Courtesy of
WikiCommons) "Neapolitan Woman," Isabelle De Borchgrave, 2010, inspired by a
details seen in the chicken portrait by Massimo Stanzione (Courtesy of nytimes.com)

that the woman is holding in her arms.

It is little wonder that De Borchgrave was fascinated by the young woman's ornate

costume. She wears not one but two stiff, tightly fit bodices, elaborately decorated with rows of

blue ribbon, embellished with silver threads and buttons, against a crimson ground. Resting upon

her shoulders is a scalloped lace collar; more lace trims her inner bodice and linen bonnet. Such

an extensive use of lace on a peasant costume is surprising, as seventeenth-century sumptuary

laws restricted the wearing of lace to the higher classes. (D’Alessandro 83) The juxtaposition of

30
rich and poor brings a great deal of visual interest, which is probably what drew De Borchgrave

to this painting. The mystery of the subject is what draws the viewer in.

De Borchgrave’s practice resuscitates the role of the painter tailor, extending the art of

drapery into the realms of fashion, sculpture, and installation (D’Alessandro 22). She elevates the

fashion of the paintings into works of art in themselves. By developing her vision one step

further into a tangible embodiment, she created a new form of art.

31
 Fashion, as an art can draw inspiration from a myriad of sources. In the same manner in

which iconic artists of the fine art world have extensively exerted their energy and years of time

to hone their talent and create their masterpieces, so also have the fashion designers who have

drawn inspiration from them. Each of the fashion designers that I have discussed here,

Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, L’Wren Scott, as well as the paper costume designer Isabelle De

Borchgrave understood the significance of fashion as an art, and the power and influence that it

has on humanity.

Fashion is, in a manner, a type of performance art. It comes to life with movement. When

it is exhibited, when it is shared, it can inspire and thus it has the capacity to transform. Fashion

has an immense power in our society. The iconic fashion designer Miuccia Prada stated,

“Fashion is the first step out of poverty. You have nothing and then you put something on. It is

one of the first things you do to elevate yourself” (LeGrave). It has a purpose and value and its

purpose is similar to that of the fine arts.

In the same way that most people who admire a Picasso will never be able to buy

one, the majority of people who pine for an iconic Chanel suit will never feel that wool

against their skin. Nevertheless, much as one can still appreciate Picasso’s pieces and his

invaluable contributions to the art world as co-founder of the Cubist movement, one can

still look at early Chanel designs and see how themes of women’s empowerment and

activity were manifested in the designs. You don’t have to love Cubism and you don’t

have to love Chanel, but perhaps there should be some semblance of equal understanding

and respect. (LeGrave).

32
Fashion much like a fine art enriches our world with its aesthetic. When attended to, it is an

essential part of culture in that it nourishes an aspect of the spirit, it is a joy on the beauty of the

human form. Fashion is not a frivolity.

33
 Bibliography

“Baroque Art and Architecture.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3

Jan. 2016. Web. 11 Feb 2018.

Bäumer, Angelica. Gustav Klimt - Women. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1986. Print.

Beck, Richard. “The Iconography of Christ Pantocrater.” experimental.theology.com.

Experimental Theology, 8 Mar. 2008. Web. 13 Feb. 2018.

Blanks, Tim. “Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear L’Wren Scott.” Vogue. Condé Nast, 16 Feb. 2013. Web.

20 Mar. 2018.

Blanks, Tim. “Spring 2016 Menswear Dolce and Gabbana.” Vogue. Condé Nast, 20 June 2015.

Web. 11 Feb. 2018

Bertolino, Antonio. “Art-à-Porter: Dolce and Gabbana, and the celebration of culture in

fashion.” tuftsdaily.com. Tufts University, 3 Apr. 2017. Web. 10 Feb. 2018.

Bowles, Hamish. Balenciaga and Spain. New York: Skirt Rizzoli, 2011. Print.

Chilvers, Simon. “Dolce & Gabbana goes for baroque with opulent Milan show.”

thegaurdian.com. “N.p.”, 26 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2018.

D'Alessandro, Jill. Pulp Fashion: The Art of Isabelle De Borchgrave. San Francisco: Fine Arts

Museums of San Francisco, 2011. Print.

Dolce, Domenico, and Stefano Gabbana. “Dolce&Gabbana Winter 2014 Womens fashion show:

tailored mosaic.” YouTube. YouTube, 23 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2018

Guida, Maria Katja. Norman Monuments: Churches and Palaces. Palermo: Regione Siciliana,

2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2018

English, Bonnie. A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th and 21st Centuries: From

Catwalk to Sidewalk. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. Web.

34
Henry, Lindsey K. The Multi-Cultural Identity of Medieval Sicily: William II’s Complex at

Monreale. Academia.edu. N.p. May 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2018.

Horyn, Cathy. “L’Wren Scott: A Different Kind of Comfort Food.” nytimes.com. The New York

Times, 9 Oct. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2018.

Larocca, Amy. “First Lunch, Then Fashion.” nymag.com. New York Media LLC., 6 May 2008.

Web. 20 Mar. 2018.

LaGrave, Katherine. “Fashion: Why Is It Important?” The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 4 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2018.

“L’Wren Scott.” YouTube. YouTube, 17 March 2014. Web. 20 March 2018.

Mathew, Gervase. Byzantine Aesthetics. London: John Murray, 1963. Print.

Nash, Steven A., Lynn Federle Orr, and Marion C. Stewart. Masterworks of European Painting

in the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1999.

Print.

Natter, Tobias G. Gustav Klimt: The Complete Paintings. Milan: Taschen, 2017. Print

Norberg-Schulz, Christian. Late Baroque and Rococo Architecture. New York: Abrams, 1974.

Print.

Radaelli, Mariella. ‘The Sicilian Connection: Dolce & Gabbana’s Inspiration has gone

Global.” L’Italo-Americano.org. “N.p.”, 12 Aug. 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2018.

Rice, David Talbot. Art of the Byzantine Era. New York: Praeger, 1963. Print.

Schug-Wille, Christa. Art of the Byzantine World. New York: Abrams, 1969. Print.

Snodin, Michael, Nigel Llewellyn, and Joanna Norman. Baroque, 1620-1800: Style in the Age

of Magnificence. London: V & A, 2009. Print.

35
Stoeltie, Barbara, René Stoeltie, and Hubert de Givenchy. Paper Illusions: The Art of Isabelle De

Borchgrave. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Print.

Talley, André Leon. “Read André Leon Talley’s Eulogy for L’Wren Scott.” vanityfair.com.

Condé Nast, 7 May 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2018.

Tate Modern. “Art Term – Chiaroscuro.” Tate, Tate Modern, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2018.

Thomas, Joe A. “Fabric and Dress in Bronzino's Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Son

Giovanni.” Zeitschrift Für Kunstgeschichte 57.2 (1994): 262–267. JSTOR. Web. 25 Mar.

2018.

Watt, Melinda. “English Embroidery of the Late Tudor and Stuart Eras.” The Met. The

Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.

Yotka, Steff. “A 10-Point Guide to Dolce & Gabbana’s Sicilian Inspirations.” Vogue.

Condé Nast, 27 Feb. 2016. Web. 11 Feb. 2018.

Zappella, Christine. “Bronzino, Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo with her son Giovanni.” Khan

Academy. Khan Academy, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.

Zucker, Steven, and Beth Harris. “Bronzino, Portrait of Eleonora Di Toledo with Her Son

Giovanni.” Smarthistory, Smarthistory, 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2018.

36
37