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Designers Pay The Rent?, 2022). Her background in physical artwork is manifested through her designs, which she refers to as wearable sculptures. Uhart is a fitting example of the intrinsic linkages between the art world and the fashion industry, many of which coincide with the emergence of abstract art itself. Abstract art is a defining characteristic of the modernist movement which began in the early 20th century (Flower, 2022). Marking a deviation from traditional forms of art that were beginning to seem outdated in the industrialized world, the movement shifted focus to forms of expression that reflected a growing sense of self awareness. Characteristic of a society that was constantly changing, the movement saw fashion designers being taken more seriously as artists (Wallenberg & Kollnitz, 2019). Fashion became a medium for art rather than just functional clothing. The fashion world of today is constantly changing and evolving, never growing too stagnant with its designs and inspirations. That world wouldn’t exist without designers combining the new and unusual in art with the ever present medium of fabric. Uhart wouldn’t be able to manufacture her fluffs for editorial use had it not been for earlier designers like Yves Saint Laurent integrating actual works of abstract art into their clothing designs. Think red, blue, and yellow colorblock abstracted by Piet Mondrian and

ART AND FASHION HAVE COEXISTED IN THIS ARTISTIC PUSH AND PULL, BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN THE TWO MEDIUMS IN A WAY THAT BEAUTIFULLY REFLECTS THE NATURE OF ABSTRACT ART AND THE M ODERNIST M OVEMENT ITSELF crafted onto the iconic YSL shift dress of the 1960s. Saint Laurent took the unreality of art and attached a new meaning to the abstract by making it wearable (Millar, 2021). Earlier, Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with surrealist artist Salvador Dali in 1937 to create the iconic “lobster dress”, an A-Line silk gown featuring a hand painted lobster (Polyzoidou, 2021). The first in a series of collaborations between the two artists, the partnership also featured a dress formed to represent the human skeleton and a shoe hat – exactly what it sounds like. These early collaborations helped solidify fashion designers as artists as well as integrate traditional artists and artwork into the industry. These designs, a defining characteristic of high fashion in the 60s and 70s, were not afraid to break the rules and go against the norm of the time. Isn’t that what fashion is all about? Ever changing in innovation — whether it be in print, structure, or form — the fashion industry is incessantly looking for newness and transformation. Even if a collection isn’t considered “abstract” in its design, it still utilizes the basic principles of the modernist movement. Art and fashion have coexisted in this artistic push and pull, blurring the lines between the two mediums in a way that beautifully reflects the nature of abstract art and the modernist movement itself – a rejection of what is expected, taking what society deems useful and right and turning it on its head.

Despite its major influence on the fashion industry, it’s common to hear criticism of abstract art from the masses, typically along the lines of “I don’t get it” or “How is this art?” This criticism is present in response to Perlmutter’s purple fluff — and the majority of her wardrobe. These statements and reactions are echoed time and time again by those unfamiliar to high fashion. Despite the criticism, Perlmutter’s comment section has garnered positivity over time, analogous to how abstract art has become more comfortably situated in the art world.

In a renaissance of modernity, art unites high fashion with abstraction, bridging the gap between both industries and understandings.