Gorgeous Inspiration, Thank You Very Mucha

Alphonse Mucha (pronounced mooka) was a Czech Art Nouveau artist best known for his beautiful, ornamentally adorned studies of women. His work could be found in advertisements and wine bottles in the 1920s era. Boy! They don't advertise like they used to, that's for sure.

Check out this poster for the St. Louis World's Fair!

I've always been so very impressed with his work. I love the detail, the usage of thick outlines, and the alluring combination of pastels and rich colors. I remember once in college photocopying all the pages of a book full of his work to take home and study. I wasn't sure what exactly I could do with this inspiration, but I knew I'd eventually figure it out. That was before I was really sewing with any regularity.

Recently I've found myself planted on the floor at Barnes & Noble in front of the "fashion design" section. Not finding anything too inspiring (fashion design these days apparently includes bulky impractical geometry or whipped cream shapes), I slowly made my way to the Art section - to find ONE thin paperback of Mucha sketches, not in color)... so I did further research and found my next passionate project for beautiful attire...

{ click images to view closer detail }

I love LOVE the pink dress on the left from a White Star Champagne label. What a great color combination. The drapes over the arms and the flower adornments are quite elegant. The body of the dress is quite simple but flattering, with a train in the back.

In many works I've noticed thin-strapped & plated jewelry sewn into the clothing, as seen in the "Amethyst" figure on the left. Very interesting. On the right, I love the peachy pink and sea foam green color combination amongst the folds & drapes (plus this model makes me happy to embrace my pale-toned nature).

"Lillies" on the left has a very simple dress design but is also very gorgeous, especially if a fabric lily could be worked into it somehow, or perhaps along a lower fold in the front.

These two show some shoulder drape detail, but also notice the great hair piece designs!

Currently I'm about to finish my first "Famous, But Yours" gown, to go live in my shop this week.. but I definitely, definitely plan to address this inspiration soon after. I'm very excited! I think I'll start with the pink White Star Champagne label gown.

Incredibly gorgeous.