fig 1

design
magazine

Discover the inter-

connection in both
practices
We need houses as we need
- The philosphy of Derrida in
architecture and fashion
clothes.
architeecture stimulates fashion.
- The architectual quality of 18th Its like hunger and thirst -
century undergarments
you need them both.
- Case studies on fashionable - Karl Lagerfeld
architectural buildings
-
- Fabrication as a meduim in both
practices

ARCHITECTURE
FASHION
 CONTENTS
PAGE 1 - 3
Introduction;

What is Architecture? What is Fashion?

Victoria Lytra

PAGE 4 - 7
Quote by Coco Chanel

Deconstructionism in Architecture & Fashion:

Exploring Derridas Philosphy

PAGE 8 - 10
Fabrication as a meduim in both practices

Exploring the work of Christo and Jeanne Claude & fabric in fashion

L’arc de Triomphe Wrapped

PAGE 11 - 16
Fashionable Construction & buildings:

Form and structure In Architecture and fashion

Frank Gehry buildings Pre and Post CAD

Iris Van harpen

Case studies on fashionable buildings. Including Zaha Hadid and “the dancing

PAGE 17 - 19
Conclusion and Editors Note.

PAGE 20-24
Appendix and Biblography.

LINK TO WRITTEN DOCUMENT: https://unibrightonac-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/r/personal/k_elshakhs1_uni_bright-

on_ac_uk/Documents/dissertation%20final%20written%20khadiga%20el%20shakhs.pdf?csf=1&web=1&e=1QakRo
Thesis Statement: ...
Through my research I will explore these similarities through a variety
ies that highlight unique ways in which architecture and fashion overlap.
out for the pseudo fashion magazine that this submission is presented as,
ocations to the viewer, drawing the eye to unusual juxtapositions of

Architecture and fashion are both practices that

of topics and case stud-
The images I have picked
are ones that act as prov-
fashion and architecture.

In terms of design language, architecture and

serve the basic human need of shelter, expressed on
fashion share a lot of technical and design lan-
contrasting volumetric shapes Through the ages,
guage. Skin, frame, model, construction, mate-
fashion and architecture have been used as a form of rial, design- confluent vocabularies are used to
expression ; a reflection of social, economic, polit- describe and carry out the basis of design ex-
ical and artistic movements. Responding to trends plored by Brooke Hodge in her exhibition titled
and movements, fashion is more responsive and re- Skin+Bones. Most of these words are the basis
bellious while architecture is more grounded and of most design practices. Through my research,
monumental. Both reflect societal turnover and the interpretation between skin and fabric will
change creating paradigmatic moments in history. be explored using case studies that show fabrics
used as a medium in both practices using the
Modern architecture has become a catalyst of inspi- work of Christo. Over time, these definitions
ration for many fashion designers echoing the shape are altered. Both sectors rely greatly on social
and form of buildings through geometric patterns and change in the way that both are influenced
Avant Garde garments. Falling under the category of by trends and art movements through many
creation, all architects and fashion designers ‘create’ a d e c a d e s .
two dimensional idea that turns into a three dimen-
sional reality. With the support of modern technology, The overlap between fashion and architecture
mainly 3D printing, architects and fashion designers dates back to the most basic form of shelter, a
are able to visualize concepts for their brand under- tent at the time known as a “teepee”. Using an-
going the same process. Hence, making architecture imal skin as the literal “skin” of the shelter and
more pliable by using pleating, folding, printing, drap- wooden poles as the frames. Although it is
ing and weaving to create buildings that are not bound very hard to ascribe a notion of fashion to the
by traditional structures. This is aided by software de- choice of animal skins used for teepees, their
velopment and contemporary material exploration, influence on fashion extended beyond their
which I will be exploring through case studies of mod- use. As trends progressed, animal prints, in-
ern architects such as Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. spired by animal skins, showed up in influen-
tial trends by prominent fashion houses such
Fashion and Architecture could be seen as creative as Dolce and Gabbana, Ganni, and Balmain. In
practices that are mutually dependent on one another the 1930s, tent technology had started to ad-
or carry the same base principles as one another. In a vance with the discovery of nylon and polyes-
simplified manner the definition of fashion and archi- ter as a sustainable material for its function. A
tecture could correlate to one another. In my mind, one broader concept related to this, particularly the
is defined as “the art and technique of designing and idea of fashion as skin and bones, was also ex-
plored by Brooke Hodge and Patricia Mears in
constructing a building,” while the other is defined as
an exhibition titled “Parallel practices in fash-

...
“the art and technique of designing and constructing
ion and architecture” exploring the overlap be-
clothes.” Within my research I will explore how these
tween the practices in the specific period of the
practices exceed these definitions into functions. Tra-
1980s, which was then explored further into a
ditionally, the function of both architecture and fashion
book exploring the “intellectual principles that
is to respond to human needs and artistic desires. In unite fashion and architecture”.(Hodge, 2007)
a way, they are both used to shelter the human body;
fashion on a smaller scale, sheltering the human body,
and architecture on a wider scale, sheltering multiple

INTRO
humans and providing homes for people to live in.

1
 Greek architect Viktoria Lytra explored this comparison further by creating a project titled “form follows fashion”com-
paring through montages the ways in which famous buildings and garments overlap and interact through various
making techniques. Lytra’s approach to this project was to explore both practices as a united entity instead of sep-
arate subject matters, she says:“Architecture and fashion belong to the realm of creative arts, establishing a give and
take relationship. Architectural identities are adopted by fashion in its affinity for experimental transformation. On
the other hand, architecture is an ensemble of socio-morphological forces, drawing inspiration from the open-ended
design of fashion scenery,” (Lytra 2018). Through these series of collages Lytra puts emphasis on aesthetic instead
of function, she exaggerates the scale of the garments on the models in order to create a seamless connection be-
tween the building and the clothes, aligning curves, folds, pleats and twists to create the illusion of a unified identity.

Fig 2:

Fig 2: Victoria Lytra, formfollowsfashion, 2020

2
 Lytra includes work by designers all around both industries including: Santiago Calatrova, Iris Van Harpen, RMJM,
Celine and Phillipe Starck. She uses the work of Frank Gehry in her montages including Lou Ruovo Center. explain-
ing that,“Blurring lines leads to extraordinary shapes that form buildings and garments such as the Cleveland Clinic
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Nevada,” (Lytra 2018). In an interview with Arch daily, she breaks down the im-
agery in the montages and explains the relationship of building to garment. Highlighting different forms and struc-
tures that share similar aesthetics, to capture the essence of clothes as buildings and buildings as clothing seen below..

Fig 2.1: Victoria Lytra, formfollowsfashion, 2020 3

“FASHION IS AR-
CHITECTURE, IT
IS A MATTER OF
PROPORTIONS”

-COCO CHANEL
4
 Fig 3:
There is difficulty in assigning a precise meaning to
deconstruction. Jacques Derrida, a French philoso-

DECONSTRUCTION IN ARCHITECTURE
pher and the founder of deconstruction. Derrida, in
coining the term, wants to engage but seemingly con-
fuse his readers with the possibility of numerous con-
flicting meanings. However we can start with a sim-
ple definition, such as that found in the Cambridge
online dictionary, “the act of breaking something
down into its separate parts in order to understand
its meaning.” In this essay I am going to look at how
the language of fashion, when applied to architecture,
and the language of architecture when applied to fash-
ion, are an act of deconstruction – trying to reveal
something about the constituent parts that make up
a whole. In particular, I am going to look at the form
of architectural construction and the form of the hu-
man body, and how coverings reveal or help to create
the formation of three-dimensional shapes beneath.

However, since there is still complexity in form, an

attempt to involve Derrida and notions of decon-
struction is still worthwhile, particularly when de-
construction as a term has entered common parlance.
This is noted by writer Rachel Bowlby in her listening
to a discussion of pop culture, in an episode of the
radio show ‘Woman’s Hour’ (Bowlby, 2008). She con-
templates their use of ‘deconstruction’ in relation to
her knowledge of Derrida, suggesting: “He might well
have been flattered as well as amused by the Woman’s
Hour allusion. Deconstruct the pin-up - why not?”

During the 1980s, Derrida revived the deconstruc-

tionist movement by creating a philosophy that
manifests itself into many fields of study, including
Fashion and Architecture. The general idea of de-
construction is to oppose the ordered rationality
of something (eg. An existing item of clothing or
an existing building). It provokes a rejection of ste-
reotypes in form and function. This idea of dest-
abilizing universal truth became a catalyst of in-
fluence to many architects and fashion designers.

The Heydar Aliyev Center, Zaha Hadid, 2007. Illustration by me,

showing mass and void spaces using black and white to highlight
deconstrutionist nature of this buikding. 5
 The Peak- Hong Kong, Acrylic
Vladimir Krinskii. Experimental design
on canvas 1983
for communal building. 1920

In architecture, “deconstructionism” unveiled itself in the de-

constructivist exhibition at New York’s MoMA by Philip John-
son (1988). The exhibition consisted of a work by a collection
of seven architects that were considered deconstructionists.
Varying from Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas and world re-
nowned Zaha Hadid. This specific group of architects do not
use “deconstruction” as a form of expression, merely as a path
of exploration of pure form and structure. “what the architects
share is the fact that each constructs an unsettling building by
exploiting the hidden potential of modernism” (Johnson, 21,
1988) Following the exhibition,. Phillip Johnson published a
book titled “deconstructivist architecture” (1988). He describes a
deconstructivist architect as “not one who dismantles buildings
but one who locates the inherent dilemmas within buildings”

As written by Johnson in “deconstructivist architecture”(1988)

“the deconstructive architect puts the pure forms of archi-
tectural tradition on the couch and identifies the symptoms
of a repressed impurity,”- and through her work, Zaha Hadid
has proven to be a perfect embodiment of that quote. she was
first recognized for her deconstructionist work in 1983, in a
competition entry for the Peak Leisures club in Hong kong.

Hadid’s work continued to embody the various techniques

used in the peak project such as horizontal layers, irregu-
lar forms and the notion of defying gravity, remaining de-
constructivist after the competition; with her most promi-
nent deconstructivist work being the Heydar Aliyev Center.
This free- form monument defies all rules of basic geometry
set by architects as Hadid uses rectilinear forms to mimic the
fluidity of the building, manipulating tensile materials such
as steel and concrete to look like a fine piece of draped silk..

Illustration by Jack Bedford, “deconstruction

in architecture”, 2022
6
 DECONSTRUCTION IN FASHION
Margiela used deconstruction as a platform to express issues of sexuality and social
change at the time. By dismantling and rethinking the function of an existing gar-
ment, Margiela adds volume and depth to the piece. As Derrida’s philosophy sug-
gests, he challenges what meets the eye, giving the viewer perspective and extensive
thought to a piece that could be perceived in normal beauty standards as “unflatter-
ing” and “unfinished”. During the 1980’s, Margiela stood out amongst all designers
of the time because “ He brought symbolic disorder to the understanding and the
interpretation of clothes,” (Skivko 2020)

Ragged
shapes

Ragged edges
Uneven pleats

Exposed
seams

Uneven pleats

Fig 4:

Fig 4:
Fig 4:
7
 Tensile structure showung application of fabric to
architectural structures

Fabrication through its transformative qualities has created inter-

dependence in both practices. Fabric in architecture is far from new,
in fact, It is the oldest form of shelter known to mankind – a tent.
They were used for their convenient qualities– lightweight, flexible
and available. With technological advances, textile architecture has
created durable fabrics that can be relied on to span over large areas
and create tensile structures. Simultaneously, fabric in fashion and
architecture serve the same purpose, sheltering the human body.
The idea of sheltering the body evolves from ancient Greek garments
(the chiton, challahs and peplos) based on function, necessity, pro-
tection availability and material. The neutral, genderless and form-
less structure rejects the idea of identity that clothing holds today.

Similarly, buildings all around the world hold different cultural, so-
cial and historical identities through various centuries. Nowadays,
architects like Zaha Hadid give their identity to a building by ex-
pressing irregular shapes and forms to engage the viewer with the
space. In the article “ Zaha Hadid: specializing identity through the
architectural monster,”(Klasto 2019) Klasto talks about how Had-
id’s identity can be “posited as a significant stimulus for her hybrid
monstrous constructions.” She uses the word “monstrous” to de-
scribe Hadid's work to emphasize on the bizarre and irregular de-
signs she creates as opposed to more classical forms of architecture.

Unlike Zaha Hadid, Christo and Jeanne-Claude approach identity

in a different way. As artists, they incorporate fabrics into buildings
that require no new technology or anything advanced, simply they
take an existing well-known monument/space/building and wrap
the exterior using everyday sustainable objects, but mainly fab-
rics. The concealment derives these renowned monuments from
their identity and forces the viewer to explore the subject beyond
its physicality, proving that there’s more than what meets the eye.
Christo and Jeanne Claude add another dimension of sculptural
qualities to ordinary existing spaces by giving monuments a second
skin using fabrication as their main medium in their body of work.

8
 started to move onto larger scale
Christo’s first projecr where he
You can see how Christo's wrapping of archi-
tectural forms has similarities with the drap-
ing of the human form to either disguise or

“the London mastaba” by Christo

accentuate the physical presence beneath

and Jeanne-Claude in 2016

Just like fashion designers, Christo used the hu-
man body as his catalyst of inspiration. When he

objects.
first started, Christo was limited to smaller scale
projects; he practiced this technique he called Em-
paquetage , wrapping random everyday objects
such as strollers, tables, chairs. In 1963, he wrapped

“l’arc de triomphe, wrapped” 2021.

his first monument in Villa Borghese Rome, Italy.

Latest project by Christo and

Centuries later, fashion designers such as Balen-
ciaga, Melitta Baumeister, Loewe, Rick Owens and
Jonathon Anderson are now interested in the ar-
chitecture of the body. “Anatomy and skin were

Jeanne-Claude.
focus points throughout a season that seemed sin-
gularly focused on the reveal aspect of fashion”
(Vogue, Bortelli-Persson 2021).. There were excep-
Balenciaga, “2022” “resort” collec-

tions, veiling was seen in the collections of Vaquera

and Melitta Baumeister, but no one did “conceal”
as dramatically as Demna Gvasalia for Balen-
ciaga” (Vogue, Bortelli-Persson 2021). Rejecting
shape and form, fabric in these collections is free
flowing denying any societal expectations and
norms creating confidentiality and freedom with-
in clothing by covering the whole human body.
tion.

Christo wrapping
Aurelian wall
in Rome “1974”
Rick Owens, spring/summer

“Reichstag Mappe II” wrapped in 2016 by Christo and

the
“2022” ready to wear

Jeanne-Claude in Berlin.
Melitta Baumeister, spring /sunner

“1963” Christo practicing his “Em-

“2022” ready to wear

peqtauge” technique on statue.

9
 Their most recent work was “l’Arc De Triomphe, wrapped”
based on a dream Christo, a Bulgarian refugee, had as a
sketch when he first arrived in Paris. His wife made sure
to execute this project before his passing by collaborating
with town planners, engineers and workers to carry out his
vision. He rejected aid from new technologies and insisted
on having the polypropylene fabric wrap around the Arc De
Triomphe using just ropes. With his work, Christo causes
disruption. In this case, he strips the identity of one of the
most famous monuments in Paris, located in the heart of
the city with thousands of people passing everyday. Simul-
taneously, Christo and Jeanne Claude create their own hy-
perreality through their work with the very simple use of
fabric, by erasing any social, historical and political pledges

A photo of Christo and Jeanne Claude via their

instagram with the London Mastaba

= RED ROPES L’arc de triomphe plan, Christo and Jeanne

Claude,2020
= SILVERY FABRIC COVERING 10
 In Fashion and Architecture, the nucleus of both practices is structure. In
the simplest form, no buildings or garments would exist with no struc-
ture (both expressed on dramatically different volumes); however, they
require an arrangement of interrelated elements to create a specific ob-
ject. Following structure, they’re many divisions that fall under how ar-
chitects and fashion designers create, including: volumes, form, shape,
pleating, draping, folding. The imbrication in terminology and practice
creates an interchangeable basis between them, dating back to the 18th
century dresses and under garments having architectural solid struc-
tures to create dramatic shapes that extend beyond the human body.

A term I find useful to describe the interplay between each medi-

um is “Tectonic Strategies”, defined as “a partial strategy for an ar-
chitecture rooted in time and place, as well as an architecture of
‘depth’. “In bringing the physical into the meta-physical, tecton-
ics begins to talk of a poetic construction” ‘(Maulden 1986). We
can see examples of such poetics in the work of various designers.
Brooke Hodge curated an exhibition (Skin + Bones) in The Muse-

PLEATING
um Of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles California (November 19,
2006 - March 5, 2007). In it, she explored the overlap between prac-
tices beginning in the 1980s onwards, where fashion and architec-
ture were transformed by a major shift in social and cultural trends.

FOLDING
In the exhibition guide for Skin + Bones, she explains the
ways in which designers and architects rely and inspire
each other to construct through tectonic strategies inher-
ent in each form (pleating, folding, weaving). In it she says,

WEAVING
“increasingly, fashion designers and architects are sharing
techniques of construction. Architects are looking to fash-
ion and the techniques of dressmaking, such as pleating and
draping to achieve more fluid and complex forms out of hard
and solid materials, while fashion designers are employing en-
gineering methods such as cantilever and suspension to cre-
ate architectonic garments using fabric. Much of this transmu-
tation of techniques has been made possible as a direct result
of developments in materials technology and design software,
which has allowed for significant advances in both disciplines”.

She challenges traditional techniques of making and presents us

with case studies of architects and fashion designers who break
these boundaries through explaining the effect Computer aided de-
sign has had in the modernization of architectural techniques .

11
Fig 6: The Weisman art museum,
Frank Gehry, 1934

Traditional sewing pattern for dress-making, compared

to shapes used in the Weisman Museaum

Frank Gehry, Balenciaga, Commes Des Garçons and Zaha Hadid are all architects and fashion de-
signers who embody the globalization of modern technology into these practices. Throughout
Gehry’s work he uses no exotic materials or mediums, most of his structures are constructed of stain-
less steel such as the Richard B fisher center and the Weisman art museum. Both projects are ex-
amples of things built pre and post the use of computer aided design. The Weisman art museum (pre
CAD) uses a juxtaposition of geometric shapes to create a confounded architectural facade. These ir-
regular segments are described to be “laid out each piece of metal skin like dressmaker patterns,”(Mar-
tinique 2020). In this project, Gehry manipulates form and structure and draws inspiration from gar-
ment technology to create a collaged landmark using strategies derived from folding and weaving.

Post computer aided design, the sky was the limit for Gehry, he started experimenting with a varie-
ty of different techniques and scales. The Richard B Fisher center was a prime example of experimenta-
tion for Gehry. He uses the metal panels on the facade to highlight the use of tectonic strategies within
this building to create a fluid-like dress form that challenges the constructs of traditional architecture,
often described as a “deconstructionist” building . He leaves the infrastructure of the building exposed
to emphasize the convoluted building construction that goes into his projects for the user to appreciate.

12
 Fig 7:
The Weisman art museum,
Frank Gehry, 1934

Richard B Fisher Center, Frank

Gehry,2009

13
Iris Van Harpen is a particular fashion designer that is really fond of architectural techniques and tectonic strate-
gies. In fact, she often collaborates with architects and engineers to produce garments that have architectural sil-
houettes and aesthetics. Recognizing geometry and textures, Van Harpen uses 3D printing and CAD technologies

...
to create the same tactile effect as modernist architects such as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. In 2010 she collabo-
rated with artist and architect Julia Koerner, a leading architectural technologist to create two 3D printed “kinetic
dresses”. She explains "The architectural structure aims to superimpose multiple layers of thin woven lines, which
animate the body in an organic way," (Koerner, 2010). These avant-garde structures and shapes are referred to
as a “second skin” to the body emphasizing the points raised by Hodge in her book Skin+Bones. (Hodge 2016)

V N HARP-

Van Harpen Autmn/Winter 22

IRIS A
EN

Van Harpen Autmn/Winter 22

Van Harpen Autmn/Winter 22 14

In her book she wrote shortly after the exhibition, Hodge raises an argument where

Fashion is thought of as ephemeral and su-

perficial, using soft, sometimes fragile ma-
terials, whereas architecture is considered
monumental and permanent, using rigid,
highly durable materials. Their scales of
production, too, are wildly different: fash-
ion designers create garments for the hu-
man body, while architects create buildings
large enough for many bodies to inhabit si-
multaneously. Regardless of scale, however,
the point of origin for both practices is the
body. Both protect and shelter, while pro-
viding a means to express identity – wheth-
er personal, political, religious, or cultural
(Hodge, 2007, page 11).

15
Following my findings on the cross-sectional nature of form and structure in architecture and fashion, I
have discovered how the realm of post-modernist and deconstructionist architects create the most eccen-
tric and distinguishable buildings. For example, “The Dancing House” by Frank Gehry in Prague inspired by
the acting couple Fred Astaire and and Ginger Rodgers, a fashionable duo of their time embodying an arche-
type of a man and a women dancing. Rather controversial at the time, the dancing house is now considered
a landmark in Prague and is the most recognized building in the city due to its irregular form and structure.

After the Croatian War of Independence, the Dancing house was used to celebrate the lack of harmony felt in the
country and engaged with a leading movement of the time, deconstructionist architecture. It was used to high-
light beauty in everything raw, disjointed and fragmented relating to the circumstances of the people at the time.
In the context of this analysis of fashionable buildings it is appropriate to recognize the work of Zaha
Hadid- as mentioned before Zaha Hadid is a world-renowned architect leading the world modern-
ist architecture. The Hyder Aliyev Centre is a primary example of Hadid’s Modish buildings. As an ar-
chitect and fashion designer, whot is continually drawing inspiration from both practices, Zaha Ha-
did uses the Aliyev Centre to marry fashion and architecture. She cancels all geometric rules and
propriety to create a fluid like free-form structure that resembles draped silk, by introducing concepts
such as curved boot columns and urban fabric reinforcing tectonic strategies informed by Brooke Hodge.

Fig 8:

FASHIONABLE BUILDINGS The dancing house, Frank Gehry,1992

and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers 16
 As the 20th Century progressed, fashion could be seen influencing architecture and architec-
ture is applying itself to fashion. The cross fertilization of strategies is not recent, but has now
become popular amongst emerging architects. As we explore Derrida's deconstructionist philos-
ophy , it would appear that he was interested in how elements could be broken down into tec-
tonic strategies, simply focusing on the form of the subject not the function. They fray the or-
igins of construction to creating a minimalist aesthetic that creates exotic structures. Aiding
his philosophy, technologies have helped defy this barrier that exceeds all geometrical basis and
rules. A building is no longer considered a rectangular structure, proportion and scale are not
considered boundaries within the realm of architecture and fashion, now a form of experimen-
tation and expression. On the subject of scale, Christo and Jeanne Claude show us the world
as a blank canvas. As he gained more recognition, they gained more ambition, wrapping mon-
uments with notable historical and cultural backgrounds with a material as simple as fabric.

Christo creates an opposition to artists like Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry, all of their work in-
cludes complex planning, urban engineering, computer aided programs to create exaggerat-
ed forms and structures. Whilst Christo and Jeanne Claude’s motivation is to hide these forms
by using wrapping to give a “second skin” to the monuments, other artists, like Zaha Hadid and
Frank Gehry, are more interested in revealing forms. However, in the end they come togeth-
CONCLUSION:

er to create a significant statement through techniques shared between fashion and architecture.

Through my research, it has become very clear that technology and trends have had a clear di-
rect influence on each other in architecture practice. Fashion has always been influenced by
trends and social change while architecture has a more grounded and firm stance when it
comes to responding to change. With the aid of new technology and inspiration that archi-
tects and fashion designers take from each other, architecture is now moving towards a mod-
ernist, minimalist and deconstructionist approach responding to the modern age. With
new technology Gehry was able to develop his scale models to create an immense varie-
ty of monuments and landmarks leaving a massive influence on young emerging architects.

Maison Margiela , Spring/Summer18

////////
17
 Furthermore, the cross fertilization between fashion and architecture stretches be-
yond the shared creative process of transforming a 2D idea into a 3D reality. For
the longest time, architecture and fashion (fashion in particular) have been used
as a form of identity and expression. Fashion is a form of non-verbal communica-
tion. The dressed body communicates our personal and social identities (Barnard,
2002; Barthes, 1983; Calefato, 2004; Lurie, 2000; Saucier, 2011). It expresses our
thoughts, feelings, and desires, as well as group membership (Hebdige, 1981). For
centuries, clothes have been representative of one’s social, cultural and historical sta-
tus. Simultaneously, houses and habitation are also reflective of social status, this was
more evident in late medieval times, but still used as a symbol of wealth nowadays.

According to Hodge, garments and buildings are described as our second skin beyond
the structure and the form second skin refers to material and medium. This circles back
to the question of shelter and in what ways can shelter in architecture and fashion be con-
sidered similar. From my understanding, both ideas stem from protecting the physical
human form, on different scales, using different mediums and now the same techniques.

Innovation and creation tend to be the basis of any project created in architectur-
al and fashion history. Through my research, I explored tectonic strategies as an
overlap between methods in both practices and found that architecture and fash-
ion share a vocabulary of strategies and making surrounding concepts such as fold-
ing, pleating, weaving and wrapping. Architectural terms are now used to describe
dresses, pants, shirts, coats and terms such as “sculptural” “fluid” and “silky” are
used to describe architectural forms, creating a direct reference between practices.

////////
Fig 9: 18
In this essay I have briefly looked at work
by various designers that have incorporated
architecture and fashion In the work and I
hope my research shows interconnectivity
between both practices which are inspiring
and creative forms of expression. My per-
sonal interest in fashion and my studies in
architecture were the catalyst of this paper,
However, through this research I acquired
extensive knowledge on how both practices
overlap. In the future, this is a topic I would
like to explore in more depth as they’re many
components to look into. For the layout,
fashion is something you mostly encoun-
ter in magazines and on tv and I thought
it would be interesting to mix both visual
publications to present this research paper.

19
Appendix:

Fig 1: Front cover

On the cover I am juxtaposing a fashion model's pose for the camera, with Christo's covered

Arc de Triomphe, both being examples of fashion and architecture engaging with the public,

to bring attention to form, and attributes of each medium.

Fig 2: Victoria Lytra

Form follows fashion, 2020.

The geometrical construction that partially hides the models face seems like an architectural

form, an inverted ziggurat that mimics the style of modern skyscraper

Fig 2.1: The curves accentuated between the building and the garments reflect the idea of free

flowing structures that most modern architects input into their buildings.

Fig 3:

The Heydar Aliyev Center, Zaha Hadid, 2007. Illustration by author, showing mass and void

spaces using black and white to highlight deconstructionist nature of this building.

Fig 4: Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 18

Three looks from Maison Margiela SS18 collection showcasing the use of deconstruction as

the catalyst of the collection, seeing that they’re many qualities to the garments that follow

the deconstructionist theory such as uneven pleats, exposed seams and frayed edges.

Fig 5: Fabrication timeline in fashion and Architecture

You can see how Christo's wrapping of architectural forms has similarities with the draping

of the human form to either disguise or accentuate the physical presence beneath

Fig 6: The Weisman art museum and “dress makers pattern”

Traditional sewing patterns used to describe the deconstructionist shapes used by Gehry for

the Weisman art museum. They share similar, bold shapes. It almost seems like Gehry took

the exact same patters from making a dress and laid them next to each other to make this

building,

Fig 7: We can see a very obvious difference in construction between Frank Gehrys buildings

pre and post CAD even though steel was used in the construction of both buildings. The

Weisman Museum lacks fluidity and is made of very abrupt rigid geometric forms, whilst the

Richard B Fisher center is constructed of smooth and effortless curves created using ad-

vanced technolgical techniques.

Fig 8: Frank Gehry , Ginger Rogers and the dancing house montage

Fig 9: L’arc de Triomphe Wrapped, Christo and Jeanne Claude 2020 and Richard B Fisher

Center, Frank Gehry, 2009 collage by author

20
Bibliography:

Brooke Hodge and Patricia Mears, Skin and Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, 2006.

Philip Johnson, Deconstructivist Architecture, 1988.

Akdemir, Nihan. 2018. “Visible Expression of Social Identity: The Clothing and Fashion.” Gaziantep Univer-

sity Journal of Social Sciences 17 (4): 27–36.

Allinfactory. 2022. “The Story of Frank Gehry Dancing House, Prague.” Prague.org. June 14, 2022. https://

prague.org/dancing-house/.

‌Hedayat, A.. “Inquiry on Interrelationships Between Architecture and Fashion Design.” (2012).

“Architecture to Remember - 11 Iconic Frank Gehry Buildings | Widewalls.” n.d. Www.widewalls.ch. https://

www.widewalls.ch/magazine/frank-gehry-buildings-architecture/lou-ruvo-center-brain-health.

Bobila, M. (2018). Why Does Architecture Have So Much Influence on Fashion — and Can It Go the Other

Way? [online] Fashionista. Available at:

https://fashionista.com/2017/08/fashion-and-architecture-parallels.

Bowlby, Rachel. (2008) "Derrida one day." in Derrida's Legacies - Literature and Philosophy (editors Glend-

inning, Simon, and Robert Eaglestone). Abingdon-on-Thames, Routledge. pp.76-79

Braddock Clarke, Sarah E. 2017. “Outfitting Textiles, Fashion + Architecture: The Convergence + Interplay

of Construction + Engineering for the Human Form.” TEXTILE 16 (1): 62–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475

9756.2017.1332906.

Braddock Clarke, Sarah E. 2017. “Outfitting Textiles, Fashion + Architecture: The Convergence + Interplay

of Construction + Engineering for the Human Form.” TEXTILE 16 (1): 62–77.‌

Brooke Hodge, Patricia Mears and Susan Sidlauskas, Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Archi-

tecture,
21
“Christo and Jeanne-Claude.” n.d.

Christojeanneclaude.net. https://christojeanneclaude.net/artworks/wrapped-monuments-not-realized/.

“Clothing in Ancient Greece.” 2022. Wikipedia. March 11, 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_ancient_Greece#:~:text=All%20ancient%20Greek%20cloth-

ing%20was.

“CORRELATING FASHION and ARCHITECURE FORM DERIVED from FABRIC KYLE HARRISON

TONKINS CHAIR: MARK MCGLOTHLIN CO-CHAIR: LEE-SU HUANG.” n.d. June 2020 .

https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/08/10/44/00001/Tonkins_Kyle_MRP.pdf.

Dada, Iyadunni. n.d. “Finding Architecture in Fashion a New Direction in Post-Modern Architecture.”

Www.academia.edu. Accessed January 26, 2023.

https://www.academia.edu/34227071/Finding_Architecture_in_Fashion_A_New_Direction_in_Post_Mod-

ern_Architecture.

“Exhibition Guidebook Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture.” 2008.

https://garmentstructuringarchitecture.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/skinbones_exhibition_guide.pdf.

‌“Fashionably Architectural Silhouettes: ‘Hooped: Dress of the 1860s’ @ FIDM Orange County Campus.”

2023. Irenebrination: Notes on Architecture, Art, Fashion, Fashion Law & Technology. 2023.

https://www.irenebrination.com/irenebrination_notes_on_a/2015/12/hooped-fidm.html.

Fiederer, Luke. 2017. “AD Classics: 1988 Deconstructivist Exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art

(MoMA).” ArchDaily. March 29, 2017.

https://www.archdaily.com/868063/ad-classics-1988-deconstructivist-exhibition-johnson-wig-

ley-new-york-museum-of-modern-art-moma.

“Gallery of Does Form Follow Fashion? Viktoria Lytra’s Montages Keep Iconic Architecture in Vogue - 4.”

n.d. ArchDaily.

22
“Heydar Aliyev Center | Zaha Hadid Architects, Bolidt, Maligno Srl.” n.d. Archello.

https://archello.com/project/heydar-aliyev-center.

“How Is Fashion Inspired by Architecture?” 2021. RTF | Rethinking the Future. February 15,

2021.

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/designing-for-typologies/a3306-how-is-fashion-in-

spired-by-architecture/

Ladd, Cathryn & Klasto, Cathryn. (2019). Zaha Hadid: Spatializing Identity through the Ar-

chitectural Monster. 6. 326-344.

Magazine, Smithsonian, and Amei Wallach. n.d. “The Arc de Triomphe Is Wrapped in Fabric,

Just as the Late Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude Planned It.” Smithsonian Magazine.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/arc-de-triomphe-is-wrapped-in-fabric-just-

as-late-artists-christo-jeanne-claude-planned-it-180978664/.

Savić, Milena, Dragana Frfulanović-Šomođi and Predrag Đorđević. “Fashion and textiles

inspired by architecture: Use of new materials.” (2020).

Says, Fashionbeauty. n.d. “Ginger Rogers | Fashion Film: The Cultures of Fashion.” Accessed

January 26, 2023.

https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/fashionfilm/ginger-rogers/.

Shanto. 2021. “Architecture Fabric: The New Use of Textiles as a Building Material.” Fashion-

novation. September 20, 2021.

https://www.fashionnovation.com/architecture-fabric-the-new-use-of-textiles-as-a-building-

material/. 23
The Spaces. (2019). 9 fashion designers inspired by architecture. [online] Available at:

https://thespaces.com/fashion-designers-inspired-by-architecture/.

‌Tomico, Oscar. 2017. “WHEN DOES CLOTHING BECOME TEXTILE ARCHITECTURE? CREATING

DYNAMIC QUALITIES in ARCHITEC- TURE through the POWER of EMBODIED IDEATION TECH-

NIQUES ENGAGEMENTS MARINA CASTÁN ROYAL COLLEGE of ART MARINA.CASTAN@RCA.

AC.UK DYNAMICS,” no. 7.

https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1492&context=nordes.

‌“Using Fabrics in Architecture.” 2022. RTF | Rethinking the Future. January 15, 2022. https://www.

re-thinkingthefuture.com/fresh-perspectives/a6094-using-fabrics-in-architecture/.

‌“Voltage 3D Printed Clothes by Iris van Herpen with Neri Oxman and Julia Koerner.” 2013. Dezeen. Janu-

ary 22, 2013.

https://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/22/voltage-3d-printed-clothes-by-iris-van-herpen-with-neri-oxman-

and-julia-koerne/.

“View of Deconstruction in Fashion as a Path toward New Beauty Standards: The Maison Margiela Case |

ZoneModa Journal.”

n.d. Zmj.unibo.it. https://zmj.unibo.it/article/view/11086/11451.

WeCityGuide. 2020. “Dancing House Prague: Postmodern Hotel.” WeCityGuide. March 24, 2020. https://

wecityguide.com/dancing-house-prague-postmodern-hotel/.

“What Happens to Architecture When Form Follows Fashion? - Arch2O.com.” 2022. March 12, 2022.

https://www.arch2o.com/what-happens-to-architecture-when-form-follows-fashion/.

Worthington, Kate. 2020. “Fashion and Architecture Collide as Top Designers Share the Buildings That

Inspires Them….” ELLE Decoration. September 16, 2020. https://www.elledecoration.co.uk/design/

a34009554/fashion-designers-architecture/.

24