Born: Odessa, Ukraine, 1885
Died: Paris, France, 1979
Painter, textile designer and supreme colourist, Sonia Delaunay’s dresses epitomize the meaning of modernity. Abstract and angular, her designs contain the juxtaposition of geometric shapes and squares and developed out of Cubism. Delaunay’s designs were worn by Nancy Cunard, Gloria Swanson and a host of French film stars and international artists. She delivered a lecture at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1926 called ‘The Influence of Painting on Fashion Design’. An amazing 94 years old when she died, Delaunay left a rich seam of work and dresses, which look as if they were designed yesterday.
