Art Invades Fashion In Paris

Press, Volume C, Issue 29508, 9 May 1961, Page 2

Art Invades Fashion In Paris

IBy PEGGY MASSIN)

PARIS.

Fabric prints in the spring haute couture collections are, in many cases, inspired by paintings. Colours, technique and designs have made an easy transition from canvas to cloth, and emerge as the newest trend in floral and abstract geometric prints.

Thus, printed chiffon garden party dresses in soft pastel shades at Christian Dior capture all the fragile delicacy of the Marie Laurencin paintings. Pierre Cardin interprets Gaugin themes in gold stylised Tahitian island and floral printed silks. In tune with the 1920'5, Nina Ricci uses geometric designs copied from the first “Decorative Art” school of paintings. Since the Stone Age, when men first daubed primitive decorations on the walls of a cave, fashion has existed in art. Today, art has invaded the domain of fashion.

Prints inspired by paintings are a dominant theme in almost every leading Paris collection. Still life subjects have become living, animated creations in airy, featherweight mousselines and organzas: in the purposely blurred and indefinite warpprinted shantungs, and brilliant toned jungle flowers on wild silk. Pierre Cardin has carried Gaugin-inspired tropical floral prints into a wide range of silk fabrics used in models to be Worn from morning until midnight. His flower-toned Shetland suits are accompanied by silk over-blouses printed with life-size hibiscus, camelias, or water lilies silhouetted against flame or pink backgrounds. Many of these fabrics are of, Cardin’s own design. Others, also

chosen by Pierre Balmain, are from Liberty of London, or well-known French fabric firms like Staron, Petillault, and Bianchini Ferior. Cardin continues the “Gaugin” prints in transparent sheer fabrics for formal wear. Side-wrapped, sarong - inspired evening dresses, worn by his Tahitian mannequin, “Yen,” are featured in exotic flowered motifs in a medley of strong, primary colours. Other designs stress Japanese inspiration with tulips, daffodils, or anemones etched against a pale background in the manner of stylised Oriental flower arrangements. Gardens

Marc Bohan, of Christian Dior, has chosen muted and concentrated floral designs for a series of six chiffon afternoon dresses poetically named after well-known gardens in many countries. Shades of fragile delphinium blue and lavender represent the “English garden." Spain is recalled in delicate pink bougainvillea graded crimson, while mimosa and grey green olive leaves symbolise an Italian garden.

Other Paris couturiers have chosen verdant prints from the Duchame fabric house. Monsieur Ducharne claims that these are exact copies of canvases by the French painter, Douanier Rosseau. The couture houses have emphasised the floral themes in fabrics by decorating their salons with artificial bouquets and lavish flower arrangements destined to last the entire season. Still life arrangements are copies from the canvases of the 18th century Flemish masters in the Lanvin display windows Bohan's model called "Exotic Garden” serves as inspiration for the verdant decors repeated throughout the main entrance and large salons at Dior. Small trees, ferns and wild orchids mix living plants with artificial flowers. Cardin plays up the Asiatic mood with a miniature Japanese garden constructed on the pavement in front of his premises in the centre of Paris. The brilliant toned flowers seen on his prints are blooming in pots at his doorstep. These potted plants, set among rocks and banks of green moss, are changed once or twice each week. Geometric Abstractions Abstract designs bring the world of modern painting into textiles. Leading Paris couture houses, situated in the central area round the Champs Elysees district, are surrounded by many of the famous galleries which specialise in contemporary art. It is, quite literally, only a short step from the picture gallery to the dressmaking salon, where there is to be found the same abstraction in geometric patterns, In the stylised blobs and blurs, confetti, pebble, and rnosiac prints. Guy Laroche favours diagonal streaks in shades of grey or black on white, suggesting rain drops splashed across a window pane. Nina Ricci features more than 40 models printed in "cubism” or indefinite abstractions, as well as copies of the first "Decorative Arts” School. Other Ricci prints are worked in small concentrated designs recalling the endless variety of patterns seen in a child’s kaleidescope. Bernard Buffet, the artist, has actually turned textile designer. Reproductions of his stark grey street scenes and landscapes are now available on large square silk scarves, manufactured by a Paris fabric firm and signed by Buffet Thus, today, if you cannot afford a Buffet painting, you can wear a Buffet scarf.

Irregular stripes worked in graded widths are another leading trend in design. Gres features evening

dresses made of Indian sari fabrics bordered in gold or metallic stripes, while Marc Bohan at Dior shows street suits intricately cut with diagonally striped skirts, A formal gown called “Evening in Louisiana” is made of brown and white striped organdy, with the stripes worked horizontally to emphasise the bell-shaped silhouette. Turkish Towelling One of the most unusual evening dresses in Paris this season is Jacques Esterel’s Roman striped gown made entirely of Turkish towelling. This season many embroideries are likewise derived from artistic sources. Guy Laroche’s typical, allbeaded sheaths are demure Cut like children’s dirndl dresses, they come in babyish pastel tones with designs copied from Wedgwood china or the delicate flowers of old porcelain. Other designers use embroidery in horizontal bands suggesting antique panelled woodwork or scrolling. Lanvin uses tiers of jewelled fringe intended to recall the cascading fountains of Versailles. Nina Ricca develops still another well-known French creative art in the "firework” embroideries which explode across the low-flaring skirts of evening dresses.