Fashion Abstraction

"Moment," 2016

Curves and colors span across the canvases of Power Boothe’s paintings. Straight lines travel next to half circles, forming paths for the eye to follow. Colors help lines transform into shapes like triangles and squares.

"Interlude," 2016

Since the late 1960s, the American artist has produced works of abstraction. His grid-like creations take the viewer on a journey through space and form, as the lines and colors communicate through a visual language rooted in geometry.

"Surfacing" 2016

Like the abstract curves of Boothe’s paintings, the fabrics seen on the Emilio Pucci spring runway took inspiration from geometric design. 

"Recursion," 2016 

With touches of color blocking paired with soft shapes, the collection is reminiscent of paintings like “Recursion” with curving forms in shades of orange, teal and blue. 

The dress comes alive as the wearer walks, the shapes moving in time with each step.

The spirit of movement and freedom isn’t limited to this spring’s collection, but is the foundation of the Pucci brand. Pucci started developing signature prints in abstract forms in the 1950s, earning himself the title of “The Prince of Prints.” 

Like the prints he created, the selected fabrics were designed with the goal of freedom. The stretch silk and cotton jerseys could move with a woman’s body, freeing her from the confines of the fitted, belted and structured fashion women were wearing at the time.

"Kite," 2016

Just as the fabrics of a Pucci dress follows the curve of the body, Boothe’s shapes move across the canvas. Whether fashion or fine art, there is a freedom found in abstraction. A freedom found through defining one’s own path that curves beyond the straight and clearly defined.

Runway Photos: Vogue
About the Designer: Emilio Pucci

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