Fashion and art have always been closely intertwined over the years, almost as if one can’t exist without the other. This has meant that fashion designers have often taken a lot of inspiration from artists when creating some of their lines.

Whether it be modern Victorian or casino-inspired fashion, these are the fashion designers that took high art and transformed it into high fashion.



Alexander McQueen - Gustav Klimt
During his time, Alexander McQueen was widely regarded as one of the best and most experimental designers in the world. He took inspiration from Gustav Klimt for his Spring/Summer 2013 collection.

The designer used similar colors and patterns as the painter, such as gold coloring and the use of geometric shapes and mosaics.

Elsa Schiaparelli - Salvador Dali
Dali is famous for his surrealist paintings, with Schiaparelli taking them to the next level. They combined to create a line inspired by a lobster, which was Dali’s idea. A flowing gown with a giant lobster on it, as well as a lobster telephone, are two of the most famous pieces.

Valentino - Hieronymus Bosch
Valentino is known for creating exquisite women’s wear that is at home on the red carpet and catwalk, but the Bosch-inspired pieces were something else entirely. The painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights, was used to create a range inspired by its motifs, colors, and depictions of people enjoying what life has to offer.

Yves Saint Laurent - Mondrian
Mondrian was known for his use of block colors and geometric shapes to create abstract, eye-catching, and bold pieces of art. YSL almost copied the work, creating the Mondrian dress in 1960, a garment still referenced by labels such as Chanel, Nike, and Moschino to this day.



Vivienne Westwood - Francois Boucher
Vivienne Westwood has long been known as a master of reinventing wardrobes from the past. Her 2003 evening gown, the Anglophilia, is designed in the image of the dress worn in Boucher’s painting, Portrait of Madame de Pompadour.

Balenciaga - El Greco
Balenciaga is often credited with transforming women’s fashion in the 20th century. The Spanish Renaissance greatly inspired him, in particular, a painting named Cardinal Fernando Nino de Guevara by El Greco. The shape and design of the cardinal’s cape are mirrored in the work of Balenciaga.

Dolce & Gabbana - Peter Paul Rubens
Peter Paul Rubens is widely regarded as being one of the best painters of women of all time. He was able to capture their beauty and personality without resorting to over-the-top and unnecessary nudity. Dolce& Gabbana’s 2020 Fall/Winter collection takes direct inspiration from Rubens's painting Venus in Front of the Mirror.

In 2012, the label created a line inspired by Baroque architecture, with Rubens’s painting The Portrait of Anne of Austria being used as the main reference point.

Dior - Claude Monet
A connection between Dior and Monet is relatively apparent. Paintings such as The Artist's Garden at Giverny inspired Dior’s 1949 Spring/Summer collection. One dress, in particular, the Miss Dior dress, is now regarded as a work of art on its own and is now stored in the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris.

What is more impressive is the seamless transition between art and fashion that Dior created. The dress is not only functional but features intricate stitching and flower design that you hardly see in fashion nowadays.

Versace - Andy Warhol
An Andy Warhol painting is one of the easiest to spot. The multi-colored faces of celebrities have been used in everything from wallpaper to designs on coffee cups. Versace, a good friend of Warhol at the time, dedicated his 1991 Spring/Summer collection to the artist, with some of the best pieces using the prints of Marilyn Monroe.



Comme des Garcon - Kazimir Malevich
A relatively unknown but still influential artist is Kazimir Malevich. The Russian was the originator of the avant-garde Suprematist movement and was a master of geometric shapes and designs. Taking inspiration from his optical and spatial effects, labels such as Comme des Garcon constantly use similar shapes and designs in their garments.

Beyond Comme, designers like Victoria Beckham and Martin Margiela have also taken parts of Malevich’s work and incorporated them into their own designs and lines over the years.