Fashion and Surrealism

The love affair between fashion and Surrealism began in the Paris of the 1920s when Surrealist artists plundered fashion's imagery for their art, raising fashion beyond the level of mere style to an important expression of culture. This text reveals the extravagent and ingenious creations resulting from this collaboration. It ranges from the shocking Surrealist dresses of Schiaparelli and Dali, and photographic experiments with Surrealist techniques by Horst P. Horst, Cecil Beaton and George Hoyningen-Huene to the work of younger fashion designers, including Olivier Guillemin and Vivienne Westwood, who have all brought Surrealist imagery into clothing and accessories.