I had no idea until reading the below article that the designer Gilbert Adrian was also a fine artist. But, it makes sense because there is a great visual appeal about his fashion designs. As I mentioned in a prior post, his creations are highly collectible and bidding wars ensue.
I thought the below article on Gilbert Adrian was fascinating. You just never know where you will find interesting articles. I found it in Look Magazine from 1951. There was no mention about Adrian on the cover or in the description when I bought it.
This is another great and fascinating thing about vintage fashion is the correlation of art movements to fashion...love it! I have a great book on Cubism and fashion that I hope to share images of in a future blog post.
Adrian is known for high-end fashion design for the stars and film. The movie "The Women" has many of his fashion designs in it. Have to see if I can find the full movie online! The fashions are fabulous in this movie. Anyone see it? Adrian died in 1959. His paintings have a surrealism about them. I'm sure he was influenced by Dali. I had to Photoshop together some of the images since Look Magazine is rather large. But, if you click on the image, it makes it easier to read. It's kind of interesting how you see this typical family portrait behind such a surreal tribal painting. It's like they are unaware of the painting behind them. Say cheese for the camera:))
The colors in the painting echo the dress. Very interesting! But, you don't see a splash of red in the dress. The dress remains with a cool color scheme.
How structured and feminine is this suit? Amazing! Note to self: Add to wardrobe:)
Adrian dress at FIT 1944
Oh man girl, you gotta see The Women! Not only will the clothes make you want to die, but it's actually a really, really fantastic movie. Although it's in b&w, there is a 5 min technicolor fashion show halfway through.. with Adrian designs of course. So epic.
ReplyDeleteI recently went on this kick where I watched every movie he ever did the costuming for... sometimes I get a bit obsessive haha... let's just say it was a giant swoon-fest. Even Camille, which was a terrible movie;)
If you are ever in the mood to drool more, check out these two books on him: Gowns by Adrian, by Gutner & Adrian, by Esquevin. Both are phenomenal!
xox Sara
I agree with Sara-"the women" is awesome-all female cast and one of my all time faves. The original of course! What amazing eye this man had...sheesh! xox
ReplyDeleteThere is something especially eye-catching and just a wee eccentrically fun about Adrian's designs. Some espoused complete glamour and that's that, but others hinted at a sort of avant-garde artistry that ensured they were not the kind of fashions one quickly forgot by any stretch of the imagination.
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
I'll certainly have to look for this movie:) Thanks ladies for all the wonderful comments!
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