Third Annual Art of Fashion

On display at the Timken Museum of Art, five designer clothing interpretations that were inspired by masterpieces from the museum’s permanent collection and modeled in the third annual “Art of Fashion” from September 7 through October 3.

The clothing designs, which were created by students and graduates from Fashion Careers College (FCC), include everything from corsets and bolero jackets to ruffled blouses and long skirts.

Selected Paintings with Designer Inspirations

Eastman Johnson: The Cranberry Harvest, Island of Nantucket

Designer: Andrea Burke
My inspiration came from the horizon of the Cranberry Harvest. The beautiful blue sky and the soft colors in the field made my vision easy to accomplish. I knew I wanted to express the nature that Johnson caught in this painting. From there, I gathered ideas from the woman standing in the
field wearing an old fashioned blue dress. Merging the two, nature and fashion, I created a piece of art!

Jacques-Louis David: Portrait of Cooper Penrose

Designer: Heather Panetti

My inspiration came from how uncomfortable the man in the painting looks. he’s so awkward and restricted that I wanted to play off of that with a stiff, structured coat; a modified waistcoat with tails infused with my design point of view. My eyes went straight to the studs bordering the
whole chair and I instantly wanted a piece in my creation covered in studs, so I thought of shorts/hot pants. I wanted to give my garments an edge with a gothic/industrial feel, but also give them wearable appeal for an individualist.

François Boucher: Lovers in a Park

Designer: Suzanne Lemasters

I was inspired by the painting’s flirtatious mood, rococo color palette, and the overall French attitude in 1758. My dress’ bodice, with its woven strands of silk, echoes the baskets of flowers. Like the skirt which the maiden playfully pulls up on the sides, my sheer silk overskirts peel back, but only to reveal a leg-liberating tutu and a cascade of silk blossoms. The overall effect is to channel the frivolity and romance of the pre-revolutionary French elite.

Bartolomeo Veneto: Portrait of a Lady in a Green Dress

Designer: Jesus Estrada

I wanted to “play up” the volume on the sleeves, but create a dress that accentuates a woman’s body. I used 20 yards of fabric in the skirt of the dress to achieve this. I wanted to infuse my edgy design sensibility to portray “tough” women of that era, so I created a bolero jacket to add an
unexpected twist. I added a corset to accentuate the body, which is hand-sewn with glass beads to help soften the edginess of the design.

Russian Icon: St. Basil with Scenes from His Life

Designer: Jeffrey Parish

Knowing I wanted the 16th century Russian icon of St. Basil the moment I saw it made deciding what I would do easy. While the image as a whole is beautiful, I zeroed in on the graphic, rather modern black and white print of the robe St. Basil wears. I decided to design and have my own fabric printed utilizing this black and white print and in some way the image itself. From this, I organically created the dress of a goddess worthy to stand next to the painting of St. Basil.