A little black talk on the little black dress
A horde of people cloaked in black swarmed the SCAD Museum of Art. Jan. 16 was a night for art history and fashion majors alike: The Little Black Dress Lecture by Fashion Department Chair, Carmela Spinelli.
The lecture, entitled “The Color Black,” explored the relationship between the art history and fashion behind the concept of the little black dress and how fashion has embraced the color black over time.
“Don’t forget your art history courses,” said Spinelli. “Fashion does not exist in a vacuum.”
A distinct link between the two was reiterated throughout the lecture. Balenciaga’s use of Spanish Black inspired by Francisco Goya paintings, Mariano Fortuny’s awe of Grecian columns and goddesses and Ralph Rucci’s Infantas paying homage to The Infanta Margarita by Diego Velazquez (1664) were just a few mentioned.
The interpretation of the color black throughout time was an interesting concept Spinelli explored. One example is the somber black of a monk’s habit, and an emphasis on Girolamo Savonarola’s “Burning of the Vanities” in the 15th century. These burnings included fine dresses, not unlike those shown in the exhibition.
The lecture focused on the progressive changes in the attitudes toward black garments through the course of history in a light and concise way. Spinelli concentrated on Western Art History and the Western attitude to the color black. Most importantly, fashion leader Comme des Garçons, founded and designed by Japanese designer Rei Kawabubo; the brand’s influence on fashion and black can not be ignored.
“The Color Black” was also an analysis of some of the 73 pieces in the museum’s Little Black Dress collection. Mariano Fortuny, Chanel, and Tom Ford were specific highlights of the presentation.
The discussion served as a leeway to talk about the present, allude to the past and embrace the future.
“What is the future of black?” asked Spinelli. “Technology is going into making a darker black, a blacker black, a more menacing black.”
The themes of darkness, menace, and chic sophistication are deeply embedded into the consciousness of the Western world. Designers like Viktor and Rolf have explored black in their all black 2012-2013 collection. Fashion Week has definitely enjoyed a bit of black and consistently revisits it.
“We don’t know what the next season brings,” said Spinelli. “Pastels, reds … but there will always be black.”
How comforting it is in the world of fashion to know that there is such a staple that designers can revisit, especially with the invention of a darker black. It seems that black will certainly be the new black.
