Art, Fashion, I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

Fashion and art start coming to life in Chicago after Mayor Daley began launching fashion friendly programs in recent years.Mayor Daley’s appointment in 2006 of Melissa Turner as Chicago’s director of fashion arts and events has created a favorable environment for Chicago based designers, keeping them from fleeing to either coast.
That’s not to say that fashion and art have collided allover the globe.Leading examples of fashion/art collaboration include Haute house Louis Vuitton. The company has worked with various artists in the past and most recently incorporated the artwork of Richard Price, who designed a handbag line based on his “Nurse Paintings” for spring 2008. Models walked down the runway, holding handbags, dressed as nurses.Damien Hirst, a British postmodern artist who created a diamond skull that reportedly sold for $100 million is a prime example of art and fashion colliding. After collaboration with Levi Strauss & Co., Hirst created a jeans line featuring rhinestone skulls for 2008.“It’s art for the masses”, said Alexa Brazilian, Elle magazine fashion news director, “A lot of people can’t afford a Hirst piece but they can afford his jeans.”Art may kiss the bride.