One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art. – Oscar Wilde

Was Oscar Wilde onto something? We’re no longer part of the 19th century’s Aesthetic Movement, but designers are obviously raiding the art history books, extrapolating a myriad of references to complement –and to drive– their collections.

Sonia Delaunay - Rythme Coloré (Colored Rhythm), 1946, Oil on canvas, private collection

Dries Van Noten – fall/winter 2011-12

Sonia Delaunay - Still photo from the film "Le P’tit Parigot", written by Paul Cartoux, Directed by René Le Somptier, 1926, collection of Antoine Blanchette

Dries Van Noten – fall/winter 2011-12

Whenever fashion designers are lauded by some critics and hissed at by the larger public, when they show wardrobe line-ups seemingly suited more for an art gallery than for a civilian’s closet, most do take pause and ask themselves if the piece in question is indeed that over the top.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Philistines, 1982, Collection of Irma and Norman Braman

Custo Barcelona – fall/winter 2011-12

Elizabeth I by an artist from the English School, c.1592. (Hardwick House)

David Koma – fall/winter 2011-12

Yayoi Kusama

Fall-winter is indeed the fashionista’s favorite season cycle, because it introduces a larger dressing repertoire and brings out clever layering and wonderful outerwear. This season more than a few fashionable fur pieces seem to come out straight out of an art encyclopedia.

Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait at 22, Musée du Louvre, Paris

Etro – fall/winter 2011-12

This fashion renaissance is tagging the actual Renaissance, or Northern Medieval period, as seen when you tap Flemish portraiture, with more than a few direct quotes from portraitures and period dress.

Giovanni Bellini, Portrait of a Young Man, 1500

Rick Owens – fall/winter 2011-12

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Netherlandish Proverbs, 1559, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Peachoo Krejberg – fall/winter 2011-12

Of course, the 20th century is the “big one” when it comes to current art references. From the experimental modernist work of the 1910s and 1920s to the iconographic work of the century’s innovators, the selection is as clever in its appropriation as it is respectful.

Kazimir Malevich, The principle of painting the walls, 1920

Céline – fall/winter 2011-12

Abstracting a style or movement’s language is much more conducive to true creative results than literal appropriation.

Rogier Van Der Weyden, Lady Wearing a Gauze Headdress, Gemaeldegalerie, Berlin

Josephus Thimister – fall/winter 2011-12

Can you identify your favorite art references in the Fall 2011 collections?

Browse The Fur Insider’s library of Designer Reviews for Fall 2011-Winter 2012.