Art + Fashion

November 1, 2015

The pairing and comparing of fashion and fine art has a rich history (for example, the 1997 Guggenheim/Florence Biennale exhibition Art/Fashion). With their 25 pairs--some authentic collaborations, others looser associations--fashion journalist Cutler and photo editor Tomasello emphasize images over analysis and bring in contemporary figures such as Mary Katrantzou and Nick Cave to expand the historical conversation. Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli's lobster dress, Yves Saint Laurent's Mondrian dress, and Cecil Beaton's posing Vogue models in front of Jackson Pollock paintings are expected inclusions. Others are surprising: Cindy Sherman inventing characters wearing Chanel, or Yasumasa Morimura images printed on Issey Miyake pleats. Some pairings are more art, such as Merce Cunningham and Rei Kawakubo, and others are more fashion, such as Peter Saville designing for Lacoste or Jeff Koons collaborating with Stella McCartney. The text reads like magazine editorial rather than academic writing, beginning with its labeling of art and fashion as an "It couple." Brief, breezy essays frame great photos of interesting art and fashion duos. Historical/theoretical studies such as the catalog of the aforementioned Art/Fashion exhibition, or Mitchell Oakley Smith and Alison Kubler's Art/Fashion in the 21st Century will better suit scholars. VERDICT More at home on the coffee table rather than a research library shelf.--Lindsay King, Yale Univ. Libs, New Haven, CT

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