
Crayola-bright blues, gumball-machine reds, and Very Hungry Caterpillar greens fill the pages of MoMAโs fall catalogue, which includes this primary-color casserole pot. Popular neo-prep brand Rowing Blazers just came out with a rainbow-stripe rugby shirt in collaboration with Landsโ End, and when Nordstrom opened its New York City flagship in October, it featured a Nike boutique outfitted with bright-red carpets, aqua-blue chairs, and rainbow sneakers that look like a Microsoft WordArt gradient come to life. A confluence of recent trends are behind this toddler-esque design moment. โIt would be easy to say this all thanks to Bauhaus, which celebrated its centennial this year,โ says Annie Auchincloss, a home buyer at MoMA Design Store. โBut I think it reflects something that came earlier: the early-20th-century Dutch De Stijl movement, which consisted of artists like Mondrian, Rietveld, and Theo van Doesburg and focused entirely on simplicity and primary colors.โ Jill Singer, the co-founder of Sight Unseen, attributes it to the collision of three separate trends: Memphis Milano (which has reached something of a saturation point in recent months), maximalism (โitโs inโ), and a renewed interest in primary-color-focused artists, like Calder and Hockney. โAll of that,โ she says, โcombined with the fact that the news is depressing. So why not a rainbow?โ
Meant to recall the brightly colored Landsโ End catalogues of the late โ80s and early โ90s. โTom Wolfe used this expression to describe brightly colored trousers: โgo-to-hell pants.โ Those bright colors are such a key part of American quote-unquote preppy style, and as prep comes back into the mainstream, itโs not surprising to see them become a trend,โ says Jack Carlson, Rowing Blazersโ founder.
Designed by Nordstromโs VP of creative projects, Olivia Kim, who made similar fanny packs and totes.
This lamp, made by Paul Smith and Sir Kenneth Grange, was inspired by the De Stijl movement.
Like a โ90s nylon ski jacket in sling-bag form.
Made in collaboration with Swedish artist Jacob Dahlgren, who has worn a striped shirt every day since 2001.
These sneakers have a dash of Hey Arnold! and a dash of the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.
A Mondrian-inspired timepiece, by minimalist Swedish watchmaker TID and London design agency Builders Club.
Poketoโs entire fall collection was inspired by the Bauhausโs 100th anniversary.
Almost all of Entireworldโs offerings have a sort of MujiโmeetsโSesame Street vibe.
From artist Mansi Shah, who also makes undulating stop-sign-red hand mirrors.
*This article appears in the November 11, 2019, issue ofย New York Magazine.ย Subscribe Now!
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