It is not rare to spot singers and musicians performing a number in Harlequin-inspired suits: borrowed from the Commedia dell'Arte, a form of improvisational theatre popular since the 16th century in Italy, the colourful costume is donned by prankster servant Arlecchino (Harlequin), a histrionic character.
Harlequin's costume traditionally consisted of a jacket and trousers made of irregularly-shaped coloured materials; the costume of his girlfriend, Columbine, was at times inspired by the garments worn by servant girls, but more often it looked like a feminine version of Harlequin's costume, with numerous multi-coloured patches.
Italian painter Giovanni Domenico Ferretti was a passionate fan of theatre, but also fascinated with the figure of Harlequin and dedicated to him an entire series of paintings.
The theme of the Commedia dell'Arte and in particular the figure of Harlequin were often used for fashion magazine covers especially in the early 1900s. Besides, fashion designers reinterpreted the suits decade after decade.
As you may remember from a previous post, the late Vivienne Westwood relaunched the Harlequin suit in her 1989 "Voyage to Cythera" collection, while the S/S 2008 season marked a revival of the Harlequin print with Viktor & Rolf, that gave the print a romantic touch, and Miu Miu, that turned it into a modern and arty style.
Throughout the years we have also seen a deconstructed version of the costume by Isabel & Ruben Toledo for the ballet "Commedia" by Christopher Wheeldon's company Morphoses and another interpretation of Harlequin's costume in a dress accessorized with a leather mask covered in spikes on Gucci's A/W 19 runway. Did Alessandro Michele at Gucci have in mind for that design Walter Albini's A/W 1972-73 multi-coloured "clown" dress for Misterfox? Maybe.
Harry Styles is a fan of the Harlequin suit and costume: in September 2017, he sported a Gucci Harlequin suit reminiscent of Cezanne's black and red Harlequin painting, to perform at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, in Las Vegas.
More recently, on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards, Styles opted for a shimmering custom-made multi-coloured Harlequin jumpsuit by EgonLab x Swarovski (allegedly comprising 250,000 Swarovski crystals in 9 different colors; yes, we know, it's hilarious the way everybody is now telling us exactly how many Swarovski crystals are integrated in a design or look - it's as if a design is now worth it only if it features thousands of Swarovski crystals...).
But the Harlequin patterns also returned in some of the recent shows: Armani Privé S/S 23 collection revolved entirely around this motif.
The 77 looks in the collection, showcased in January during Haute Couture Week in Paris, were colour variations on the Harlequin theme, with styles that may appeal to a variety of couture clients - from younger to more mature ones.
Inspirations, according to the press release, came from "the rococo interiors of Venetian palazzos and the splendor of the light" and looks included jackets with embossed diamond patterns or with Harlequin motifs in iridescent emerald, mauve and pale blue fabrics (will Lady Gaga starring as Harley Quinn in the next Joker film wear it at some point on the red carpet maybe?) matched with black pants or black knickers; sequined cardigans in densely beaded embroideries and rhomboid patterns in dégradé crystals.
In some cases the pieces of Harlequin's suit were deconstructed and reconstructed into an extravagant mille-feuille jacket that gave three-dimensionality to the pattern.
The designs were accessorised with Harlequin bags and Pierrot neck ruffs here and there to create a contrast between these two moods (Harlequin is the prankster, while Pierrot is the sad clown).
Chic and elegant, yet not extremely new or innovative, Armani Privé's collection riffed on variations, like a text-to-image Artificial Intelligence application would do: there were larger or smaller diamond prints; varying intensities of colour and moods that went from the ebullient '80s to styles reminiscent of Art Deco times, with tiny hints at punk in the glossy trousers matched with the Harlequin jackets and shiny bustiers (but then again isn't Harlequin a punk, a destroyer of the order and an instigator of chaos?).
While Armani Privé's harlequinade may have needed some editing, Harris Reed's new collection may have benefited from some variations.
Heading to Paris for his debut at Nina Ricci after only four collections in his name since he graduated from Central Saint Martins, Reed was inspired by theatricality in his A/W 23 designs.
Explaining the moods behind his new collections Reed quoted Shakespeare's Act II, Scene VII from "As You Like It", reminding us that "All the world's a stage" and talking about performative clothing.
Yet, rather than pointing at Shakespeare, the designs incorporating Harlequin's black and silver bodysuits hinted at the Commedia dell’arte.
The bodysuits were integrated in velvet evening gowns, matched with domed mini-crinis, mixed with abstract shapes à la Rei Kawakubo's Spring/Summer 1997 "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body" collection and wrapped under miles of old gold lamé (reclaimed curtains collected from London's theatres).
Christopher John Rogers also incorporated Harlequin motifs in his Pre-Fall 23 collection: at times they were printed in his trademark optical polka dot style; at others appliqued onto evening gowns or broken into rhomboid elements stitched together to create a ruffled scarf.
The lookbook for the collection also featured models wearing clown noses and a Pierrot jumpsuit plus towering clown hats, while playful ideas such as sweaters formed by two crewnecks and a sweater dress with both long sleeves and arm slits also pointed at joyous Comedy of Manners moods.
Expect to see more Harlequin patterns on the A/W 23 runways in Milan and Paris, but beware: as stated above, Harlequin usually symbolizes fun and irony, but also escapism, confusion and chaos and patterns linked to his costume often popped up in fashion in moments of crisis in our collective history.
Schiaparelli launched her Commedia dell’Arte collection (S/S 1939), comprising also a Harlequin coat with diamond shaped patches of wool felt, eccentric hats such as tricorns or peaked clown hats or lace masks, and mask-shaped buttons, in October 1938.
At the time war rumours were turning into tangible threats in Europe and Schiaparelli’s designs almost seemed to exorcise the fear and panic they were generating, while the Commedia dell'Arte theme used by Schiap became a metaphor indicating the psychological state of mind people were living in.
Tomorrow is Mardi Gras, a joyful day for fun and self-expression and the culmination of the Carnival season, yet this week also marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.
So, it is somehow symbolical to see the Harlequin pattern returning in our times: while all these harlequinades may not be spelling immediate disaster ahead, they surely go well with a collective state of mind pointing at conflict, chaos and confusion.
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