2. Andy Warhol’s rebellious sex symbol status in the ’60s isn’t that much
of a departure from Miley Cyrus’ notorious tongue-poking, twerking
antics today. However, Warhol’s disdain for the mass market:
‘commercial things really do stink,’ is in stark contrast with Cyrus’
use of shocking-meets-witty type of tactics to reach fame.
Cross-pollinations and collaborations in the malleable realm of
creativity — from art, design and fashion to music, architecture and
literature— that back to the early ’30s have reached full bloom.
Interdisciplinary relations are ubiquitous Today but will the fire that
can result from certain artistic unions be diluted Tomorrow? Trusty
ol’ Father Time will deliver his verdict soon enough.
Artists in the 21st century have to increasingly pander to the demand
from consumers for more ‘bespoke’ items. Is this pressure leading
to designers piggybacking on each other’s followers to stay on-
trend? Does the dizzying pace at which we function mean that
innovation could have fallen to the wayside in place of the endless
battle to stay on top. So many questions! Let’s backtrack to when
it all started…
3. Commercial things'
really do stink.' (Andy
)Warhol
Photo by:André Durst
The Lobster Dress (1937) by Elsa Schiaparelli and
Salvador Dali is one of the early 21st instances, and
remains forever timeless, where art said ‘hello’ to
fashion. The organza dress designed by Schiaparelli
featured a painted lobster by Dali, an unlikely match
between a fashion garment and a surrealist painting.
[FYI: The crustacean made a sneak appearance in
2010 on Lady Gaga’s head as a diamond-encrusted
hat (for want of a better word!) And a golden
lobster embellishment on the editor-in-chief of
American Vogue, Anna Wintour’s Prada dress in 2012.]
'COMMERCIALTHINGS
REALLY DO STINK.'
ANDYWARHOL
Commercial things'
really do stink.' (Andy
)Warhol
'COMMERCIALTHINGS
REALLY DO STINK.'
ANDYWARHOL
4. yy
Andy Warhol’s burst of bold pop art
exploded onto the scene in the ’60s to try
and untangle the distinctions between high
and low culture and make art accessible
to the public. The Souper Dress (1966-
67) presented a way to do just this. The
disposable paper dresses were made
entirely out of Warhol’s iconic Campbell
Soup Cans artwork and were affordable
enough to take home.
5. Piet Mondrian’s abstract paintings inspired
fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent to
produce the ultra-chic Mondrian Dress
(1965). The A-line shift dresses emulated
Mondrian’s abstract and minimalistic
sensibilities by skilfully piecing together
primarycolourblockswithboldblackjersey
and wool material. Yves Saint Laurent,
the movie, was released in January 2014
detailing the designer’s journey through
the fashion world. You can watch the
trailer here:
[ FYI: 1 000 participants united in Liverpool
thisSeptembertocreateaMondrianmade
of people. The happening was filmed for
the BBC One Show in their abstract art
segment. Each block was made out of
a different community performing and
wearing designated ‘Mondrian’ colours.]
8. Fast-forward to the 2014
Miuccia Prada Spring
collection where six street-
artists were commissioned
to create large murals of
women’s faces to feature
in the fashion show. The
striking images of the
women’s’ faces were
seamlessly transferred
onto some of the dresses
and handbags, in
this way ‘transposing
public art onto private,
expensive wardrobes’
(Miuccia Prada). In her
opinion: ‘artists have
emerged as brands in
themselves. In a way
fashion has made art
more fashionable’.
A new hybrid creation on the scene features Miley Cyrus in cahoots
with Jeremy Scott. The 21-year-old pop star and established club-
scene fashion designer presented Scott’s Spring 2014 collection
as well as Cyrus’ Dirty Hippie artefacts. The artefacts consist of
brightly coloured found objects plastered together in a haphazard
way, and found their way onto the runway in the form of fashion
accessories.
Cyrus describes her artistic process:
'I had a bunch of f---ing junk and sh--, and so instead of letting it be
junk and sh--, I turned it into something that made me happy.'
Was their involvement just a publicity stunt? Would Warhol buckle
under the power of the profit-driven society we all live in? The
integrity of the purist merging of ideas in the ’30s is a world apart
from the murky associations and name-dropping mechanisms
that even some of the most popular brands have adopted in this
century.
Photo by: Andrew Boyle for Milk Made
