When the country opened up to streaming visuals from across the globe not so long ago, after an era of Doordarshan, many experienced jaw-dropping reactions after their first encounter with fashion, courtesy a wildly popular channel called FTV. Until then, the only haute couture that one ever came across was the much-awaited Miss India pageant on national TV.
The stunning designs opened up realms that many small towners hardly knew existed. Alas, the local tailors could never keep up! Long before these catwalks introduced us to the world of glamour, there have always been artists who used dressing as a means to make a statement, much like the art they created.
Their clothes were often an extension of their lives, reflecting their beliefs. The art, the artist, and the persona were but one whole package.
Mexican artist Frida Kahlo wore her cultural identity, weaving it into her outfits, her hairdo, and her accessories. Her wardrobe consisted of rebozos or shawls, skirts, holanes, and varied traditional Mexican garments. Religious symbols were painted on her corsets. Whether one recognises her artworks or not, there is no mistaking her distinctive unibrows, her elaborate hairdo with bright flowers and her colourful clothes.
Gustav Klimt, who dazzled us with his portraits of women in gold, primarily wore shapeless, long smocks stitched with very coarse canvas. To add to this, he was known to never wear undergarments. His unconventional attire was designed by his fashion designer companion, Emilie Floge, and you could perhaps call them the first brand couple! And how can the flamboyance of Spanish artist, Salvador Dali, with his ornate canes, his surrealist theatrical clothes, and iconic upturned moustache, not figure in this list? His lobster on pelvis dress and bone-quilted skeleton dress were all interlinked with his artistic identity. He even gave a lecture dressed in a diving suit.
Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is a brand by herself. Often dubbed the polka dot lady, her art is filled with these dots and psychedelic colours and patterns. Creating a sense of infinity with her immersive installations, the artist wears a red wig and dotted clothes that resonate with the hallucinatory experiences that shaped her art.
Michelangelo was so intense in his focus on work that he never changed his tunic and heavy boots for days, even sleeping in them. While painting the Sistine Chapel, he wore a turban to protect himself from the marble dust and his sweat; the look was so unique that it would have provided ample fodder to any fashion designer today. And what about our very own MF Husain? No matter what he wore — either a traditional attire or a three-piece suit — he was perpetually barefoot, thus making a rebellious proclamation about his disregard for conventions and establishing his own signature artistic style.
While the world mourns the end of an era, with the passing of Italian fashion designer Valentino, let us take a moment to remember every artist who lived their art through their attire choices, oblivious to the fact that they were a one-man / woman fashion empire by themselves. Three cheers to these original and unorthodox fashion icons, too!