“Dear imagination, what I want most in you is that you do not forgive. The only thing that still exalts me is the word freedom. I believe her capable of maintaining the old human fanaticism indefinitely. Where does the imagination begin to become dangerous and where does the security of the spirit cease? With these words André Breton invited a collective of artists to join the Surrealist movement in the twenties. There were many who joined this incessant search in favor of capturing dreams and the most irrational imaginary in artistic formats. One of them was Salvador Dalí, born in Figueres and who, after a stage in the French capital, continued his work near Cap de Creus, in the wild landscape of the Costa Brava.
The house that was built in the Portlligat cove, uniting different fishermen’s shacks, is today a museum that allows one to immerse oneself in the artist’s creative universe, with sofas that simulate full lips, mirrors that emulate penetrating gazes, narrow wooden chests of drawers and trimmings with encrusted shells.
All of this resonates strongly this summer in both fashion and interior design. “In addition to the classic sailor stripes and floral prints, this year we see how the directors of large luxury firms and streetstyle brands have wanted to include surreal motifs in their collections in an effort to respond to the demand of a very tied public. to nostalgia, the weirdcore trend and an iron will to break the rules”, says Madeleine Jordan, fashion consultant for the trend forecasting agency WGSN in London.
Added to this is a search for color after years of preponderance of black and neutral tones in summer. “Obviously, blue is also present this year, but in its most impetuous or electric modality, while the ecru colors require the audacity to stick to the body. Mauve, mustard and sea foam green have entered the most coveted summer Modern Bed Designs”, adds Gabriella Montrasio, professor of Textile Design at the Istituto Marangoni in Florence.
Proof of this are the proposals by Loewe, under the baton of the British J.W.Anderson, with prints of XL shells and other marine elements inspired by the trompe l’oeil typical of surrealism and Dalí’s imaginary. Dresses that he has worn, even in the English countryside, Alexa Chung. On his part and as a firm with a surreal and dreamlike spirit par excellence, Schiaparelli gives another twist to his already iconic bustiers, oversized shirts and sculpturally patterned skirts.
But there is still more. And it is that this legendary maison, under the creative direction of Daniel Roseberry, has simultaneously launched a collection of accessories and jewelry with elements of the human face widely explored by the masters of surrealism, such as eyes, lips and nose. Years ago, Delfina Delettrez Fendi popularized jewelry with these references and today she continues to materialize them in exquisite pieces from her atelier in Rome. Street firms, such as
In this revisiting of surrealism we find a fusion with the seventies, with that DNA rooted in psychedelia. Proof of this is the Tommy Hilfiger collection in homage to Andy Warhol, with shirts and accessories in vibrant colors and motifs such as crabs and lobsters. Also for men, Sandro opts for shirts with starfish in different shades.
Those who visit the Salvador Dalí museum in Portlligat or the 11th century Gothic-Renaissance castle located in the district of Púbol, in the Baix Empordà, the painter’s residence in the 1970s, will be able to discover an eclectic decoration in which there are plenty of raffia objects , hemp and wood, antiques that today have been the inspiration for firms such as Mango, La Redoute or Kave Home. “We have said goodbye to futuristic furniture and we value those inherited pieces or those that have been manufactured today, but with noble materials. Likewise, after the pandemic, we are experiencing a real fervor for high-end outdoor furniture, in order to enjoy the summer and the sunlight at all times with much better pieces than low-quality plastic and zero sustainable”, exposes the interior designer Montse Masnou, with reform projects in Cadaqués and Begur.
To give that warmth that Dalí also sought for his homes, and with the same ingenuity of the surrealist master, we found the sunflower-shaped wall clock that George Nelson created for Vitra in 1949. This designer was a pioneer in making clocks without specifying the numbers, counting with which the relative position of the hands would indicate the time. A kind of visual game of the most effective. Another great historical firm, Cassina, tempts us with Giacomo Balla’s screens with Mediterranean colors in the form of waves and made up of three honeycomb panels of different heights and widths joined together by double-action brass hinges, which allows instantly create different spaces and wow guests.
For the table, Bordallo Pinheiro has a magnificent collection that seems to be the work of Dalí, with bowls and egg cups in the shape of a cabbage that serves as a bed or is devoured by a lobster. Long after-dinners and naps in a most bewitching environment. André Breton already said it: “We must not load our thoughts with the weight of our shoes”.