Art vs Fashion: Museum of "Contemporary" Art

                                        

                             

       

    Achille Fontanelli (Modena 1775 - Milan 1838)                                                              Alexander McQueen

             Italian Nationalist                                                                                                               Cruise/ Resort 2012

Silhouette and embroidery are the two focal points of comparison between the painting of Achille Fontanelli, by artist Andrea Appiani, and the garment from the 2012 Cruise/ Resort collection by designer Alexander McQueen.  Looking at these creations side by side, I first noticed the shape of the collar, the curve and cut of the fabric and  and the emphasis to the waist line.  It is obvious that the Alexander McQueen design emphasizes the body of the model more than the painting, considering it is a modernized creation.  Achille Fontanellis 18th century garment in the painting is more layered and seems it is a heavy fabric, which was common during that period, signifying wealth and status.  


There is detail along the collar of the Andrea Appiani painting, that continues along the trim of the cape.  The embroidered detail is threading of an almost leaf like motif.  The motif in the garment is very similar to the embroidery of bronze thread and gemstones that is on the shoulder and skirt part of the back of this McQueen gown.  


Browsing through images of current women's couture fashion from 2012, to 18th century fashion of a man, demonstrates that fashion is repetitive in all elements, but to make a contrast for uniqueness is knowing how to modernize the garment and make it fit to the body, like the Alexander McQueen design is above.   


Last year in my Apparel Quality analysis, we constructed a garment from the Marie Antoinette period, using patterns from a silhouette of that style, but our own fabric and design.  It was not an easy task to create a corset and correctly fit it to the body.  During the Marie Antoinette period, there were layers under the garment that we are not use to wearing in modern fashion, such as the layers of fabric that Fontanelli wears in the painting above.  Having the experience of creating a garment of an unfamiliar shape and adding our own design allowed me to be creative and understand the relation of art vs fashion and how designers interpret art in a modernized fashion.