#NYFW: ALICE + OLIVIA SS2017

Alice and Olivia SS2017 RTW, is inspired by the mystical world of Tarot cards, rainbows, and magical gardens. 

Designer, Stacey Bendet was greatly inspired by her recent trip to Italy, and in particular, the Gardens of Bomarzo. 

Influences and inspirations run wildly throughout her collection and also in the scenic background of her #NYFW Presentation. 

GARDENS OF BOMARZO

Located in northern Italy, Gardens of Bomarzo, were created in the 16th century. Also known as, Park dei Monstri, the sculptures are created not to please but astonish. 

Sculptures in the garden include: Pegasus, Two Sirens, Proserpina, Orcus, a whale, 2 bears, a dragon, Proteus, Hannibal's elephant, Cerberus, a turtle, small theater, giant, triton, ceres, nymph, Aphrodite, and giant fruit. 

The garden was created by Pier Francesco Orsini after the death of his beloved wife. 

The garden has even inspired surrealist painter Salvador Dali to make a short movie and painting. 

Look carefully and you can spot various spots from the Garden of Bomarzo in this Alice + Olivia dress. 

TAROT CARDS

"I kept thinking about how tarot cards are really about the power of interpretation, and so is clothing."

-Stacey Bendet

On her trip to Italy with artist, Lola Schnabel, she became intrigued and inspired by the Tarot cards Schnabel painted. 

Tarot cards can be found throughout the collection as symbols, prints, and accessories. 

As an empowering movement of interpretation and expression, Bendet allows one to use fashion to control one's personal reality. 

"Your outfit each day is your personal art---it's the way you express yourself to the world each morning....So be a rainbow!"

-Alice and Olivia

RAINBOWS

"Ever day should have a rainbow!" 

-Alice and Olivia

STACEY BENDET

Alice + Olivia designer, Stacey Bendet, can be spotted in caricature form through out the SS 2017 Collection. 

xo,

Maya

Salvador Dali's Impact on the Fashion World

Salvador Dali was a famous Spanish Artist, who fashioned the way of a Surrealist Lifestyle.

He impacted the fashion world in many ways, collaborating with creme de la creme of the fashion world. From Vogue to Dior, his collaborations were loud, and recieved great acclaim and severe criticism. 

His own style was exotic, with obvious Arabic roots, he loved extravagance and lavish materials. Never one to blend anywhere, he sported an unforgettable mustache that defied gravity. 

                                        DALI and VOGUE

Dali was comissioned to do several VOGUE cover illustrations and it is 
interesting to see classic "Dali Style" with a fashion twist. Salvador Dali 
even acted as Guest Editor, for one issue of VOGUE.

                                      DALI and DIOR

Dali collaborated with Dior to create a vision of what women would look like in 2045.
This mint green gown was titled, Costume for 2045. 
It was a fashion statement predicting future women as over civilized and would need a crutch for moral and spiritual support.

Amusing enough, mint green is currently "trendy" and a "moral crutch" 
seems rather handy for a society booming with powerful women. One 
thing I find interesting was his choice of the dress silhouette. It is rather 
conservative for Dali, and unimaginative in the sense that it represents 
the past more than the future. 

                                 DALI and SCHIAPARELLI

Dali collaborated with fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, creating a 
white silk gown with a giant red lobster painted by himself. He also created 
a shoe-shaped hat, a belt, perfume bottles and numerous textile designs.

Such collaborations were frowned upon by Art critics and viewed as blatant acts of commercialism. The Surrealists were growing increasingly suspicious of him, coining an anagram of Dalí's name, "Avida Dollars". Dali defenders argue that his intent was simply to expand Surrealism in all ways. 

Dali was known for his surreal paintings but besides being a painter, he was also a craftsman. He dabbled in making sculptures, shooting photos and contributing in the different areas of the fashion industry.The argument of whether he sold out or was simply seeking to expand Surrealism, is neither important nor necessary. Fashion is Art and the cross over was a natural progression.

Salvador Dali's Jewelry Collection

“My art encompasses physics, mathematics, architecture, nuclear science – the psycho-nuclear, the mystico-nuclear – and jewelry – not paint alone,” 
“My jewels are a protest against emphasis upon the cost of the materials of jewelry"
-Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali is infamous for his impact as a Surrealist painter, but it is interesting to note, his artistic genius did not stop at the tips of his drying paint brush. He was well known for his eccentric impact on avante garde fashion and innovator of the term "statement jewelry". All his creations whether paintings, furniture, fashion or jewelry, were all forms of a statement and no detail was ever overlooked. 
Each stone represented a deeper meaning. For example, rubies were used to represent energy, sapphires tranquility and lapis lazuli for the subconscious mind. His early attempts produced striking, bejeweled translations of his surrealist painting. Hearts bursting open and dripping blood, eyes weeping and melting, sensuous lips, are some subjects he used to recreated his art into forms of Jewelry. 

Eye of Time Watch:

Made of blue enamel, diamonds, platinum and cabochon ruby.

 “Man cannot escape or change his time. The eye sees the present and the future.” 

-Dali

"Honeycomb Heart" - made of rubies, gold, and diamonds.

“My object is to show the jeweler’s art in true perspective – where the design and craftsmanship are to be valued above the material worth of the gems, as in Renaissance times.” -Dali

In other words, it was important for Dali to emphasize ART above monetary value. Meaning over cost, he wanted the buyer or viewer to think, to appreciate the message behind the Art.

                Dali's 1949 Brooch inspired by Mae West's lips.

"Poets of the ages, of all lands, write of ruby lips and teeth like pearls."

-Dali

Before designing his own jewelry line, he was already a great influencer to avante garde fashion and costume jewlery. Elsa Schiaperelli was a huge fan of Dali and was greatly influenced by his works and the entire  Surrealist Movement. 

Dali's Starfish brooch was among the nine Dali jewels featured in “Surreal Things”  at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Made of pearl, diamonds,  rubies and emeralds the pin is designed to wrap around the hand and fingers!

The Dali Museum in Figuero Spain holds a permanent exhibition on Dali Jewelry.