PSYCHEDELIC CLOUDS

As a child, I was fascinated by the pulsing colors and spectra of works by Peter Max.  Born in 1937, Max created colorful illustrations throughout his entire life across all media, and in partnership with many large companies, such as the USPS and 7-Up, which made him a cultural phenomenon.  He is most notable for his psychedelic landscapes with jubilant figures that seem to characterize the "Cosmic Sixties".  Max still lives and works in New York City, and his work remains a source of inspiration for me, both in the color palettes and compositions which recall one of my favorite decades in fashion and in art.

Dress: L'Amour by Nanette Lepore

Shoes: Kelsi Dagger

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff 

[Photos by Kathy Paciello; Max images from pri.org, blogs.sun-sentinel.com.]

INSPIRATION: The Modern Woman.

I love this so much; all I want to do is wear an Op Art coat and stand near a Helen Frankenthaler painting.

From The New York Times' The Lively Morgue:

June 26, 1963: Reviving the American Indian art of painting on furs, the Fifth Avenue fur designer Jacques Kaplancommissioned five American artists to paint on his collection to be worn by “the modern woman.” Within two hours, the first coat — painted by Anuszkiewcz, with a geometric arrangement of black dots on white calfskin — was sold to Mrs. Harcourt Amory. Each design came as a complete surprise to Mr. Kaplan, as he allowed the artists “absolute freedom to do whatever they wanted.”

Photo: Mayer Liebowitz, The New York Times