Studies in Fashion Perspective

During the last few days we looked at the possibilities that the aerial perspective and a humble material such as cardboard can offer us in fashion. Let's continue our architecturally fashionable explorations by looking this time not at a collection for the next Spring, but at the current Autumn/Winter season.

Italian designer Roberta Redaelli combined art and architecture in her A/W 1013-14 "In Prospettiva" (In Perspective) collection. The latter includes designs incorporating bits and pieces of paintings by Italian artist Ester Maria Negretti and of Palladio's studies for his Olympic Theatre.

Redaelli also played with another dichotomy, combining '50s silhouettes with high-tech materials such as the Sensitive Ultra Light Firming textile, a light yet compact fabric by Italian warp knitter Eurojersey that mainly produces experimental textiles integrating active ingredients capable of improving the elasticity and brightness of the skin.

The main concept behind the collection – perspective – is intriguing since looking at something from a different angle can offer us refreshing views (and in fashion we should all try and make an effort to looks at things from a less passive perspective, without accepting everything we get thrown at…). In the case of Redaelli's collection, the designer prompts us to look at the details hidden away in her pieces and grasp a few Palladian notions as well.

Andrea Palladio's Olympic Theatre in Vicenza draws inspiration from the Roman theatres described by Vitruvius. The first play staged there in 1585 was a production of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, with a scenery created by architect Vincenzo Scamozzi that was meant to represent the streets of Thebes.

The scenery was characterised by an amazing perspective view with beautifully decorated hallways that gave the illusion of looking down the streets of this city. The five doors of the Palladian scaenae frons were indeed fitted with perspective vistas by Scamozzi representing the finest examples of architectures in Thebes, including houses, palaces, temples, and altars.

To modern tastes that performance was maybe lavishly produced, but the result was so stunning that the wooden structures and stuccos were never removed. They can indeed be still admired and, as this collection proves, they can still be used as inspiration.