What We Are Reading Today: Mondrian’s Dress

Authors: Nancy J. Troy and Ann Marguerite Tartsinis

When Dutch artist Piet Mondrian painted thick black rectilinear lines in a geometric abstraction, made up of blocked parts filled with white, saturated yellow, vibrant red and rectangles of blue in the 1920s and ‘30s, nobody could have anticipated that decades later, in the ‘60s, celebrated couturier Yves Saint Laurent would posthumously adapt the distinct — and perhaps restricted — design into wearable art that would be as recognizable in 2023.

What was born was an unlikely collaboration between two men, who, perhaps knowingly or not, popularized a whole new genre of accessible, wearable art. Instead of being reduced to a well-curated wall in a museum, you could exhibit it anywhere as part of everyday life.

The playful and sophisticated dresses have been steadily sold in numerous variations, and continue to even today.

Now, a new book published by MIT Press provides a fresh take on this iconic pop culture phenomenon that spans decades and generations.

Art scholars Nancy J. Troy and Ann Marguerite Tartsinis offer much context and background on the different threads of stories that link the two artists together.

Using archival clippings from newspaper and magazine articles published at the time, as well as eye-catching graphics, the book explains the impact of one of the twentieth century’s most recognizable fashions, using anecdotes and sources.

It goes into how and why the design became so iconic, and how merchandizing and commodification played strategic roles in the popularization of the pop culture phenomenon.

The coffee table book is full of great pictures, so it is easy to flip through, but it is also full of in-depth text that offers extra background on the illustrations and art.

It expertly explains how French couture, Dutch abstract art and American pop culture merged together to create a perfect encapsulation of the essence of the stylish, modern woman of that era and beyond. 

As the first book-length study of its kind, the authors examine how and why the Mondrian dress went so far, and has managed to outlast other pop culture trends.

The book explains how far the reach went into redefining the lines in which fashion and art could be blurred; the impact that the geometric patterned dress had on New York street fashion, and on how we interact with that art even today.

For SR187 ($49.95), the book could make a great gift for you or a loved one.