22 Mar ‘Fashion In Colors’ Book Review

This book is a collection of images depicting four centuries of Western fashion from the focused perspective of colour. Various scholars discuss the history of colour in both art and fashion to examine its impact and importance. “Colour is life” – Johannes Itten (Fashion In Colors pg.8)

Black

“The simplicity of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s signature ‘little black dress’ helped establish black as an appealing colour for women’s fashions, as it conferred on urban women a ‘uniform’ that could easily transition from day to night through the changing of accessories”.

I like that this quote references a key piece in history (Coco Chanel’s ‘little black dress’) to highlight when the colour black became iconic in woman’s fashion.

Multi-Colour

I like how the book makes an important connection between art and fashion. The images above depict the influence of pop art both in the 1960s when it first emerged and again in 2004 redone by Dolce & Gabbana. This clearly shows the influence that fine art and pop culture has always had on fashion throughout centuries.

Blue

From reading this book I learned something about the interpretation of the colour blue. I have never given much thought to this colour, but it has a vast history with a deep meaning – from Cézanne’s ‘Three Bathers’ in 1879 depicting a representation of the nude human body in space to the French artist Yves Klein’s performance piece where he ‘jumped into space’*. This brings an entirely new view of the colour as ‘a symbol of vastness and immateriality’*.

Red

“Red endows a sense of the brilliant, dazzling, magnificent, or, simply, beautiful” – Fashion In Colours pg.21

I learned that in the 1800s, Napoleon’s army and the novel “The Red and Black” by Stendhal created the perception that red ‘evoked the military’. This jacket displays the military influence through its colour and Brandenburg trimmings. I was interested to see the uniform of the army that ‘left a profound mark on the public perception of red’ so I found an image of what they looked like.

Yellow

I like how this book offers close-ups of the garments so that the reader can examine the beautiful details. This silk taffeta dress uses weld for the yellow dye and has a golden shine that ‘resonates with the glossy brilliance of the crisp silk’*. It was interesting to learn that yellow became a colour of interest in eighteenth century Europe.

White

“In White, the eye gets lost in the surface richness of delicate materials” pg.25

Many of the white garments show and discuss that form was emphasized in the twentieth century. The ‘S-shape’ corset was introduced during this time, shaping woman’s bodies and their garments in a particular way. I looked further into the history of this corset and learned that it was thought to be healthier for women because it placed less pressure on the abdomen and was also used to promote a ‘proud’ posture by pushing the upper body forward and the bum backward.

FASHION IN COLORS

Curated by Akiko Fukai

Published by Assouline Publishing

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Fashion In Colors at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Original exhibition organized by The Kyoto Costume Institute