Fashion Clouds in Harper's Bazaar

For the September issue of Harper's Bazaar, executive editor Laura Brown commissioned Dutch "cloud artist" Berndnaut Smilde. Smilde created indoor clouds for a photo-shoot with iconic designers Karl Lagerfeld, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, Donatella Versace and Alber Elbaz. The designers had to talk about their experience and answer on how they felt about clouds and fashion and dreams. Karl Lagerfeld, who was photographed by Simon Procter, was really inspired, calling the formations "the most beautiful installations of ever-changing abstract modern art in movement." But the really important question, what do you wear with a cloud? "I would not wear black-and-white," Lagerfeld said. "Silver would be great too, or an elegant pink. But no gold — too shiny. Leave it to the sun."

"Of course, every cloud has a silver lining! I'm an optimist. I always look for the positive, no matter what. I think being miserable is so boring--I've not got time for it. Sometimes it takes hard work to be positive, but it is always worth it. People think sunglasses are just for protecting your eyes from the light. For me, sunglasses also protect me from gray days. Wear sunglasses, put on some loud music, and suddenly the gray doesn't matter. I like a cloud to be dramatic--dark and tempestuous. I like to be challenged and provoked, and confronted with ideas and opinions. My cloud would be a big storm, one that no one could ignore. Then from behind it would come the most brilliant sunshine. What to wear with a cloud? Versace, obviously. Just look at the picture of me." - Donatella Versace

"I love to watch the Weather Channel. I have an obsession with clouds because I love the sun. I love always the sun. Clouds are like dreams, yes. I think the dream is very simple. Every day, every minute, all of life is a dream. If you don't dream, it can't come true. Family, personal life, job, friends--if you dream well, you dream positive. For me, that is very important. With a cloud, I would wear underwear or a tank top. When it's cloudy outside, I want to stay home. In bed with my love. Every cloud has a silver lining? I don't know that saying. Dolce & Gabbana's cloud? I think it has a lace lining." - Stefano Gabbana.

"I prefer the sky blue--I'm from Sicily! I love it when the clouds are very white; it's very relaxing, like meditation. It's difficult to talk about dreams because I've done therapy for a long time, and the dream, it's something very special. I don't have a favorite dream. In another sense, my dream is to find a balance in my life. When it comes to inspiration, you act like a sunflower. We take inspiration from everywhere. Walk around, all the people, all the life--everything." - Domenico Dolce.

"When I was younger, people said I had my head in the clouds, but I always had my feet on the ground. Clouds are never negative for me. There is something serene and naive about clouds. I think that when kids start to sketch, after doing home or a tree, there is always a cloud. I drew a lot of clouds, and I tried once for a Lanvin show to have the girls coming from the clouds. But it didn't come out well--it looked like the CNN weather report. A cloud would be my world--even the shape of a cloud is round. The fantasy, the desire, the reality, work, love, relationships. Everything. I love cloudy days. I work in a black room. I live in a very dark apartment. I love Paris in the winter. I love Paris when it's really cloudy. I feel that clouds have some sort of protection. Clouds are like dreams, and I dream about work. Every collection, it's like starting a new chapter and a new book. I think we need that moment of being inside the cloud, and the cloud follows us through the whole process. That's the beauty of design. You don't have to go inside the total reality. You start with a dream, you start with a cloud, then you start moving on and going down. Even when you hit the ground, I think it's important to keep your head up." - Alber Elbaz.