Mention the words "human anatomy" to any fashionista who may also be a fan of body-con designs, and they will shrug and say this is a topic they are not interested in. Yet, human anatomy is an important component of fashion.
Albeit designers do not create clothes for internal organs, having a solid knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the human body and of its raw mechanics, allows them to create perfect body-con dresses, designs that truly act like plastic surgery, sculpting or enhancing the human silhouette in impeccable ways (which automatically explains why a lot of things we see on the runways nowadays look like messed up rolls of fabrics wrapped up around a dummy - probably in these cases designers were so into creating Instagrammable looks that they lost the anatomical path...).
Mugler comes to mind, but so does "L'Ange Anatomique" (The Flayed Angel, 1746), a mezzotint of a fashionably coiffed anatomized woman by French artist and anatomist Jacques-Fabien Gaultier d'Agoty, a pioneer of medical colour mezzotint printing.
There was a strong human anatomy component in Christopher Kane's S/S 23 collection, showcased during the latest edition - a sombre one - of London Fashion Week.
The show that marked a return to the London schedule of the designer since 2020, wasn't actually just about human anatomy, but about forensic studies as well. As the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II finally took place yesterday and while the mourning period continues in the UK, Kane's main inspiration went along well with the rather dark funereal moods hanging over the country.
While an anatomy lesson was read on the soundtrack, the mechanics of the human body were evoked by the ribcage-like plastic strips decorating a gray sweater or forming bodices on lingerie dresses (inventive, but frankly, even to this day, it remains hard to compete with Schiap's 1939 skeleton dress…). The plastic strips also seemed to hint at the plastic curtains you may find in medical laboratories.
More surreal effects emerged in the fabric cutout hands with prints of red muscles and ligaments in full view. The hands were applied around the shoulders and bodice of a dress or around the waist of an ivory gown with a cape.
Scalpels were evoked by mini-dresses suspended from geometric panels and by the sharply cut boots, while medical instruments were also referenced in the metallic clasps holding Scottish cashmere cardigan, twinsets, or jumpers-cum-capes. Floral motifs were to be intended not for celebratory occasions but for condolences, so they were dedicated to the dearly departed.
The idea behind this collection was creating armours with skeletal structures, so the purpose was dissecting, while protecting, and playing at the same time with Kane's usual dichotomies - his passion for plastic and his appreciation of more luxurious materials such as cashmere, for elegance, but also for trash.
At some point Kane must have seen and studied the so called "anatomical Venus": first created in the late 1700s, these life-size wax sleeping beauties with real human hair and an expression of sexual abandonment (Clemente Susini's "Venerina" - or Little Venus - was particularly beautiful and also wore a pearl necklace), were actually anatomical models with removable layers that allowed students to discover the mechanics of the human body (was this inspiration behind the sliced and layered designs and the inset lace bra cups?).
Not everything was convincing, though, and at times some motifs ended up being repetitive. But, if you like the inspiraton, you can start building your own medical library that you may reference while you're working on your designs.
Among the volumes you may want to include there is the "Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery" by Jean Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797-1849) a comprehensive and beautifully illustrated collection of anatomical treatises that features hand-colored lithographs by illustrator Nicolas Henri Jacob (1782-1871). The atlas features descriptive anatomy, surgical anatomy and techniques, general anatomy and embryology, and microscopic anatomy.
Besides, if you ever find yourself in London head to the Wellcome Collection and stop at its library for a day of discovery and study. Or, without moving from your own town, team up with a medicine student, a doctor or a radiologist to develop some clever designs inspired by human anatomy and forensic studies as well. Who knows what you may come up with. Luminol-inspired clothes? Maybe, but don't kill anybody to make sure the effect is more genuine. A new fabric? Well, blood, bacteria and virus repellent fabrics have already been developed, but the possibilities are endless.
The most important thing is that you remember this link between anatomy and design, the rest will follow. Andreas Vesalius stated in 1543 that "anatomy is an important part of natural philosophy". Let's hope Vesalius does not get angry if we dare to add that anatomy is also an important part of fashion.
Comments