Intersections : reciprocal influences between similar practices in fashion and architecture

This essay explores the intersection of fashion and architecture through the visual incorporation of elements from both practices onto each other. The author explores this intersection by analysing the recent work of the Parisian fashion brand Chanel, looking to determine how architecture has influenced the design process and details of garments, related to the creative work of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. In the context of this investigation, the concepts of architecture are examined through the theory and work of architect Steven Holl, which is later correlated to similar practices in fashion, paying special attention to the use of geometry, form, texture and function as raw influence for fashion. Departing from the premise that fashion and architecture are initially concieved as a means to shelter the body, the author uses the methodology of analysing the interaction between both practices directly in the field of fashion, from which it is then concluded that architecture and fashion are a visual amalgamation that depends purely on proportion, texture and layering in scale, making the intersection visible through the application of theories of construction and sensorial attributes that bestow meaning to the outcome of a design project, therefore clarifying how both practices have influenced each other throuout history