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Cubism and Fashion by Richard Martin

At the start of the 20th century, cubism altered the world of art as it saw the world in a new way. Braque, Picasso, Leger and many others created a new way of depicting objects, now viewed from all perspectives at once. This book contains photos of many paintings from cubist artists you have probably heard of, and many dresses from dress designers you have never heard of, or even imagined their connection to cubism. But as soon as you see a few of the dresses that came BEFORE cubism, you will realize at once the connection of fashion with art, and appreciate it deeply. A fundamental, dynamic, and energetic change occurred, as clothing and our bodies became modern.

Richard Martin's short descriptions and analyses of the clothing and paintings are well-matched to the illustrations. Insightful and pithy, they slow the pace of paging through the book, and direct your eye and mind in a most fortuitous manner to the salient features of the clothing designs.

If you have never even remotely considered reading a book of this type, so much the better! For the first time you will begin to develop a vocabulary with which to think about clothing design, and what it all means. "Hey! maybe there's something to this fashion stuff after all!" you might be heard to say. An added benefit is the close-up photographs showing some of the stitching that went into the 1910's, 1920's and 1930's couture.

Leg your way down that Paris fashion runway to amazon.com and slip into a little more comfortable Cubism and Fashion by Richard Martin.

reviewed September 5, 2001