6.19.2013

Klimt's Kleiden






Let's travel a titch back in time and to another German speaking country. Back in turn-of-the-century Austria a bohemian master, Gustav Klimt, immortalized many women in his vibrant and seductive paintings. A great deal can be said about this inspiring member of the Vienna Secession - an artist's group greatly propelled to modernize the aesthetic of Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau. 


Gustav Klimt and Emilie Flöge in the Garden of the
Villa Olleander on the Attersee, 1910
Photograph by Hans Böhler
Neue Galerie New York


Very recently fashion designer L'Wren Scott presented her RTW Fall 2013 collection in London's Institute of Engineers. Thanks to Style.com and WWD we can see some examples of the inspiration she took from Gustav Klimt's paintings, which the designer cited herself. 

L'Wren Scott, RTW Fall 2013, Look 7
Style.com

The gold embroidered collar & shoes paired with a royal blue dress are reminscent of Klimt's portrait of his muse, Emile Floege.
Gustav Klimt, Emile Floege, 1902

Note the hair in the painting & on the runway. In fin-de-siecle Austria this was considered bohemian and unruly. Emile was Klimt's muse & life partner. In the photograph above she is dressed in a dress that she designed. To read more about it click on the photo caption or here.

Me - in Mischa G.'s presentation for Bumble & Bumble, August 2011. 
There was also that one time I did some hair modeling for my best friend Mischa G. - for her graduation presentation at Bumble & Bumble. This is an example of how to recall those unruly bohemian tresses in a very composed & updated way.  Want to see more of Mischa's work? Check out her Tumblr.

L'Wren Scott, Fall 2013 RTW, Look 29
Style.com

The patterns in these dresses mimic those in the mural Gustav Klimt painted for the Palais Stoclet in Brussels (see photo below).
L'Wren Scott, Fall 2013 RTW, Look 1
Style.com
The location is remarkably similar in design to the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Marble encumbers every wall.

The dining hall of the Palais Stoclet in Brussels, designed by Josef Hoffman 1905-11. The  mural,  also known as the Stoclet Frieze, is by Klimt but was badly damaged - beyond recognition in a fire.

L'Wren Scott is not the first to be inspired by the whimsical attire of Klimt's sitters - namely, Adele Bloch-Bauer - whom the artist painted twice.

In 2006 - cosmetics magnate, Ronald Lauder reportedly paid $135 Million for the first portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, now at the Neue Galerie New York.


Gustav Klimt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, 1907
in situ at the Neue Galerie New York


Has all the hype about the (allegedly) most expensive art acquisition of its time propelled Klimt's work back into the spotlight? Christian Dior's 2008 Spring Couture Collection borrowed a great deal from the artist. Chanel did too...L'Wren Scott isn't the first...but she does continue with the visual lexicon. 



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