"The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, 1484-86, via Wikipedia (face of Venus detail above)
Graceful, ethereal, romantic, mysterious. The women of Sandro
Botticelli’s paintings from the Italian Renaissance continue to awe and inspire
art lovers and fashion designers. Centuries since women like Venus were
depicted on the 15th century canvases, the paintings’ power to
enthrall remains.
"Primavera" by Sandro Botticelli, Late 1470s or early 1480s, via Wikipedia
Venus, The Three Graces and Cupid were painted among other
mythological characters against the backdrop of a lush garden and orchard back
in the 1470s or 1480s by Botticelli in “Primavera.” Art historians continue to
debate the painting’s meaning, but many believe it to connect to ideas of love,
fertility and the arrival of spring.
"Portrait of Lucrezia de'Medici" by Agnolo Bronzino, 1560, via WikiArt
The famous Renaissance painting was likely commissioned by
the Medici family. For several generations, the Medicis held seats of power
through business and politics in Italy. In addition to generating large sums of
money for their family, they also heavily invested in the arts and humanities.
By doing things like supporting artists that included Botticelli, the family
helped make Florence the heart of the Italian Renaissance.
The Alice + Olivia Fall 2017 collection clearly drew
inspiration from the “Primavera” painting with skirts depicting scenes from the
painting. Elements throughout the collection mirrored the spirit not only the "Primavera" painting, but Renaissance fashion as a whole.
"Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci" by Sandro Botticelli, 1476, via Wikipedia
Renaissance dresses were
typically fitted at the top with either a high neckline or V-neck. The waist
was accentuated as the smallest part of the body and may have been highlighted
by a belt. Past the waistline, the dresses were often pleated or gathered before falling to the floor in a full and voluminous cascade of fabric.
Detail from "Primavera" via Wikipedia
During the Renaissance, wealthy women were often inclined to select richly colored
fabrics in jewel tones. Fabric choices included velvets and brocades, with
accents of jewels and ribbons. The key to every fashion choice of the time was
extravagance and luxury. As FIT points out, fashion for women of that time was
intertwined with “beauty and social expectations of women” with choices often
designed to underscore wealth, power, position and marriage status.
The Alice + Olivia designs used key parts of the Renaissance
style repertoire with the richly hued fabrics that were also embroidered and
decadent.
Several of the designs featured long sleeves, including
romantic bell shapes. This too drew inspiration from the Renaissance since
women’s dresses with long sleeves were worn to show wealth.
"Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci as Nymph)" by Sandro Botticelli, 1480-85, via Wikipedia
A woman with long
sleeves was prosperous and did not need to work like the lower class, and her
sleeves made work an impossibility since they were not practical for the
demands of labor.
Detail of the Three Graces from "Primavera"
Nowadays, women can of course wear long sleeves no matter
their class. But just as women of the 14th and 15th centuries selected their attire to communicate messages, fashion continues to
hold the power to tell parts of our stories each day.
Sources and Further Reading:
1. "Beauty Adorns Virtue: Italian Renaissance Fashion" on the FIT Fashion History Timeline
2. "History of Italian Fashion" on Wikipedia
3. Fashion images via Vogue.com
