GOLD BAR

"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art."

Notes on 'Camp'
Partisan Review

SUSAN SONTAG

A whirling signature statement of lyrical decadence the dramatic Baroque trend seduces us into a visceral fantasy of sensuality, passion, and grandeur. Baroque was one of the first trends to spread across Europe, taking root in Roman art and architecture in the early 1600s and making its way across Italy and the Western continent. This style was defined by deep extravagance – in the high contrast, drama-enhancing lighting of the era’s painting and sculpture, the lavishly ornamental spiraled columns and giant domes of its architecture, and the ornate, generous use of gold and lace in dress and decor.

Some four hundred years later, Baroque has once again glamoured the global fashion landscape.

For Fall 2012, Dolce & Gabbana sent gold bouillon necklace-draped models and haute clergy-inspired looks down the runway. White lace calf length dresses call to mind ceremonial gowns of childhood and cherub-printed red and rose gold blouses allude to Sicily’s baroque religious traditions. A lame top with wool trim at Stella McCartney and opulent, pearl-and-satin embroidered, body conscious frocks at Balmain, echo similar themes of post-Renaissance-era sensuality. Helmut Newton seduced by a gilded Versace medusa.

Vogue Nippon editor and street style icon Anna Dello Russo is also drawing reference to Baroque aesthetics this season, releasing an ultra-decadent accessories line with the Swedish retail giant H&M on October 4^th. Inspired by the gilded turquoise inlay on Baroque furniture, a children’s fantasy pop-up book, and the generous curves of Italian Baroque architecture, Dello Russo conjured up a playful mélange of flamboyant baubles, bags and heels in gold, gold and more gold. Turquoise and coral accent rose gold cuffs, oversized jewels add just the right amount of excess to gold boots, and bracelets take the shape of winding snakes and alligators for a mystical effect. The pieces are delightfully over-the-top, ideal for the woman who views fashion as performance and excess as fantasy. As in the case of the looks from the Fall 2012 runway and the 17^th century arts that inspired them, the aesthetic is one of bold luxury – or as Dello Russo recently told WWD, engrained in “a dreamy fashion bubble that is almost a parallel reality.”

Susan Sontag would have had a ball.

-Ashley Simpson

October 2012