First of all we have to admit that fashion gets its inspiration from art. Throughout the decades, fashion designers and artists have shared the same love for colors, shapes and beauty. Just like art, fashion is constantly being reborn, is an extension of ourselves and it seeks inspiration from other arts. Looking at catwalk videos, backstage photos, fashion trends and daily news it's impossible not to ask yourself: "To what extent does art influence fashion?"

Let's take a look at Elie Saab's feminine and delicate lines, pale color palette, water color effects, draping fabrics and soft garments. His work demonstrates a mastery of design and his models softly fuse with their surroundings like walking impressionist paintings. 

Elie Saab captures the effect of light to emphasize the colors, just like impressionist painters did. I simply adore his tiny little details, floaty dresses with magnificent textures, sinuous lines, the way he highlights a woman's body and the way he creates a dream. Each Elie Saab's collection is an odyssey of beauty. His gowns are full of glamour and they attract in a mysterious and magical way. The color palate is amazing and it goes from shimmery apricot to shades of champagne, light blues and purples, neutral accents and pale pink.

Moving forward to Sergio Rossi's collections we can see that he got his inspiration from modern architecture with graphic details and sophisticated shapes. He uses simple forms but creates details that established his reputation as a purely minimalist designer.

Yves Saint Laurent and Piet Mondrian shared the same love for abstract art. The painter's grids inspired YSL to create "Mondrian" day dress in autumn 1965. It is wool jersey dress in white, red, blue, black and yellow color blocks. With this dress YSL made the historical case for the artistic sensibility of his time. But Mondrian's influence doesn't stop here. He created madness in the fashion industry, inspiring designers like Sarah Schofield, Viktor & Rolf, Christian Louboutin and many others.

Painting was a major inspiration for jewelry designer Lisa Paik also. Looks like Mondrian inspired an amazing Art Deco-esque piece of jewelry, while Gustav's Klimt masterpiece was the foundation for an Art Nouveau ring. Isn't fashion puzzlingly amazing? As a designer Lisa Paik went to different fashion phases, like the cubist period with its faceted ring which replicates the cubist qualities that Picasso is famous for, or the Renoir Ring that brings back the feminine sensuality and beauty from the painter's artworks in characteristic Impressionist style. But my favorite is the Starry Night Ring inspired by Van Gogh's magnum opus. The ring doesn't aim to have a perfect shape but to capture the swirly brilliance of the night. There are countless examples of high art being used as an inspiration for collections.

In 2008, Diane von Furstenberg designed a resort-collection inspired by Andy Warhol's pop art. Dior played also with art and he took inspiration from the romantic period, with its ruffled head pieces, glamorous detailing and luxurious hats. Indeed, pure romance comes along and changes the catwalks.

These were just some examples of high art being used as an inspiration for collections but there are countless. Fashion is just another form of art, that changes at an increasingly fast pace. That's why New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has an entire department dedicated to fashion.  

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