Thursday, January 31, 2008

Have Fun With Paint

Colorful daubs of paints are splattering all over the places and dresses are the new canvases.

This season, abstract paintings are gracing the spring/summer 2008 collection on the runways and America's contemporary artist Jackson Pollock plays the icon of the trend.

Starting with Dolce & Gabbana's range of limited edition handpainted gowns with wealthy tulle crinoline undulating underneath that sparks intere
sts among international fashion elites at last year's Milan fashion week, abstract is the keyword and investing in spring/summer artwork-adorned hottest pieces is akin to invest in priceless masterpiece artworks of the legendary American art icon Jackson Pollock and his contemporaries.

After hours of browsing on the Net for the best artistic spring/summer dresses that you should wear, or as they say, if the dress can't fit then hang it on the wall to turn it into a marvelous piece of art, here are my top three picks out of the sea of thousands. Check them out!

PACIFIC PRINT COTTON DRESS by MARNI

Marni, a famous Italian fashion label started by Consuelo Castiliogni in 1994 was shot to fame after giving new breathe of life to fur by treating it as a normal fabric for wearable pieces.

Her trademark aesthetics include concurrences of color blocs, textures, gray-beige-blue interlaced with bright colors and unusual silhouettes such as bell hemlines, gatherings, asymmetry, and large volumes.

Inspiring is the right word to describe how marvelous this piece of wearable art is. Boasting a classic Sixties silhouette with round neck, short sleeves and pockets on both sides of the hip and knee-length hemline, the beauty of this timeless chic cotton dress is radiated by the abstract Pacific print in white and blue that swathes all over the dress.

It's 100% cotton-made fabric makes it suitable for both day and evening wear in our hot and humid climate. Besides wearing it for casual or formal purposes, you can even wear it as a work wear to office with smart pairing of nice round toe heels and a cool it bag.

This lovely piece of art retails at £425.00 or approximately RM 2732.37. Available at Marni boutiques and Browns London online store.

DRESS WITH BOLD PRINT by DRIES VAN NOTEN

For those who are unfamiliar with this name, Dries van Noten is a famous Antwerp-based fashion designer from Belgium who was born into a family of tailors.

An Antwerp Fashion Academy alumni, his career in fashion started when he along with five other Belgian designers, known as the Antwerp Six, presented his first menswear collection in London in 1986.

For Spring/Summer 2008, van Noten juxtaposes a wealth of colorful prints, vivid colors, patterns, and easy shapes to create a collection of an unforgettable spring and summer.

Among all of the pieces displayed at the Paris runway show, my eyes quickly struck on this stunning piece - bold print dress. Showered in bull rush prints of fuchsia and aubergine, this dress is another work of art that's simply to die for.

The dress, which looks more like a tunic, features boat neck with back zip fastening, long sleeves with wide rolled-up cuffs and wide hem on the knees. You can either wear it on its own or pair it with a pair of loose pants to create a contemporary 'Salwar Khameez" or Punjabi suit.

This dress sells at £535.00 or approximately RM 3440.00 at Browns Online Store or Dries van Noten boutiques worldwide.

PAINT SPLATTER DRESS by YVES SAINT LAURENT

A brand who counts its pioneering "Le Smoking" tuxedo for women as its fashion claim to fame, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche is the epitome of true sophistication and modern luxury style.

During the reign of Tom Ford, the house's classic yet conservative image was given a sexy and edgier facelift that soon got younger crowds hording into Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche stores all over the world for a dose of infinite sexiness.

Three years later, Ford stepped down from the throne and Stefano Pilati took over the rein with a more tone-down image laced with doses of minimalism. Though stars and goddesses are the subject of his latest spring/summer 2008 collection, influence of abstract art can also be seen in the collection through one of gis hottest creation of the season, the paint splatter dress.

A high-waisted sleeveless dress with round neck and wide hem on the knee, the multi-colored splashes of paint that adorns the white milieu dress front is oh so breathtaking. Like I have said earlier, if you can't fit or refuse to wear it, just let it stay on the dummy and be one of your most coveted artwork.

The dress retails at
£700.00 (RM4500.00) and available at Browns London Online Store and Yves Saint Laurent stores.

*Photos courtesy of Browns London and Style.com

Browns
London - 24-27, South Molton Street, London W1K 5RD; 6C, Sloane Street, London SW1X 9LE2
Marni - #02-28/29/30, Hilton Shopping Gallery, 581 Orchard Road, Singapore 238883; 2nd Floor, Erawan Bangkok, Ploenchit Road, Pathumwan, Lumpini, Bangkok 10330.
Dries van Noten - Club 21, 02-26/27, Hilton Shopping Gallery, 581 Orchard Road, Singapore 238883.
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche - #01-47, Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, 238859 Singapore; Plaza Indonesia, 10350 Jakarta, Indonesia; Shop G3, Alexandra House, Hong Kong; Shop G116, Ground Floor, 11 Canton Road, Hong Kong.

2 fashionistas wrote ...:

Queenie said...

Just wondering... it's painting clothes are the in-thing right now??

Queenie said...

I mean is painting clothes is the in thing right now?