Art and Fashion: Collaborations and Connections Between Icons

First things first. This book is physically far more than impressive on so many levels aside from its content. The book’s size surely qualifies itself for coffee table browsing. The paper is high quality. The images are rendered perfectly; the quality and clarity of each one is far beyond what we might expect from a book of this genre. There is no question that this level of photographic quality is usually reserved for the genres that deals with fine art and precious jewelry. Art and Fashion stands out because no detail has been overlooked when it comes to its wonderfully and meticulously rendered presentation.

Next up is the content, which can only be defined as educational, entertaining, visually arresting, and informative. Cutler and Tomasello raise the question of whether or not fashion is an art form or if art be fashion. Remember that these types of collaborations with artists and those in fashion go back to the turn of the 20th century so it would be a mistake to toss off a casual answer. The authors have made their case on all fronts. 

The collaborations involve photographers, creatives, and fine artists of every type who have “married” fashion for a brief but memorable timespan. These non-fashion collaborators are varied and some will be well known to the reader and some not so much. The upshot is that the reader is afforded an explanation and exploration for each “marriage” but yet not bogged down with excessive verbiage. In essence, each marriage is defined and explained in a brief but cogent manner.

Apparently this fall season will yield several books that deal with fashion and its collaborators, but Art and Fashion gives us a very broad view of what is possible when the scope and its players is entirely open ended. Without even having reviewed the remainder of the other epic volumes, the sure bet is that this is a stand-alone that really deserves to be read as well as seen given its perspective and singularly grand execution.