Blocks and Lines

I wonder if we are going to experience a post-war artistic movement like Paris did in the 1920s. Ok, maybe not, at least we can be inspired by the fruits of the innovation that took place in those fertile days - Piet Mondrian and his un-confoundable grid paintings are one of the first ones to come to mind - probably because the "Mondrian Day Dress" that Yves Saint Laurent created several decades later is one of my favorite designs of his ever.





There's something so simply genius about this dress, maybe it's the asymmetrical symmetry of the shift shape and the lines, maybe it's the simplicity of its form, maybe the crispness of the primary colors, maybe it's the way he camouflaged the shaping in the grid of the seams. Whatever it is, it's perfect.

























Probably due to that timeless perfection, color-block designs like YSL's seem to be part of everyone's collections - so many in fact that I had to sort them out in my head - these are my favorites:


Clockwise from top left with links: Vivre color block lighters, Chloe Ines clutch, Marc Jacobs Mary-Janes, Topshop color block silk playsuit, Kara Ross Mondrian clutch, Emilio Pucci skirt, Pierre hardy heels, Forever 21 geometric dress, Mint Jodi Arnold color block dress, Jonathan Saunders Somerby dress, Herve Leger color block bandage dress, Nike Mondrian sneakers.


Even my closet has recent color-blocked additions - my favorite is this dress here that needed a little modifying since it was 7 inches longer and had terrible purple sleeves - not quite a Mondrian day dress, but it conveys the sentiment....