Monday, March 7, 2011

Colour My World, Part One: Sonia Delaunay Style!

After a bleak winter dominated by a landscape of white, I have been readying myself for a spring and summer filled with clothes with vibrant primary colours and great visual appeal.  It is therefore no wonder that I have fallen head over heels for the work of Sonia Delaunay, an artist and fashion designer, whose oeuvre I'm only now just discovering since stumbling upon a notice for an upcoming Delaunay exhibit at the The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City, entitled, "Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay" (if I can get to NYC this spring, I hope to be able to catch this!)  What I wouldn't give to find an authentic Delaunay design, such as the drop dead amazing knitted swimsuit and tunic below!?!  Colour my world, indeed!!!


















10 comments:

garofit said...

This is fantastic; but quite scary also how sometimes we seem to think of the same things...I have also come across her very recently and been highly inspired...to the extent I MUST somehow find a way to create that sort of look. I have even bought - overcoming my general nose wrinkling towards 60's/70's fashions - a silk shirt that has a color combination and stripe print that created in my mind an association with these art deco beauties. Will probably post about it on the blog soon, so you will see. Of course is not the real thing, but will do for play.

BaronessVonVintage said...

oh, how serendipitous! Can't wait to see your beautiful blouse! I've seen some amazing 70s pieces with glorious 20s illustrations on them, and of course the colour blocking style has waxed and waned many times since Delaunay's day, so there are some gorgeous vintage pieces from later eras that I would wear in a heartbeat (Delaunay's pieces are so scarce, they are best saved in a museum anyway!)

Emily said...

This is awesome!!! Love it; such a great inspiration for spring!

tat said...

Thank you, thank you for this posting!! As a fine artist who loves this period in painting I'm inspired all over again.

tat said...

p.s. Just ordered two Sonia Delauney books!

Lauren Hairston said...

Now I'm wondering if I should knit one of those swimsuits! Aren't they fabulous?

Kelley Anne said...

Wow, these are wonderful. I know, I've had bathing suits and bright colors on my mind in the past month as well. After I ordered a brand new retro swim suit from Anthropologie and two pairs of sandals, I realized it was high time for warmer weather...at least in my own mind:) I hope you make it to the exhibit.

Tickety Boo Tupney - A Dash OF Worcester Sauce. said...

The swim suits are heavenly- but then again any knitted swimsuit weakens me at the knees!
I love SD’s work- always had a fondness for her designs ever since my mum introduced me to her work back when I was at school…
Thank you for reminding me!
Tups x

Sarsaparilla said...

What a wonderful post! I love bold colorful designs - especially after an especially dreary white winter. I would die if I ran across anything half as gorgeous as these Delaunay fashions. What an artist!

The Dreamstress said...

Oh, so gorgeous! I love all the colours, and the realistic body shapes of the designs. That really is what I would look like in those swimsuits.