If it sounds crude to say that Yves Saint Laurent's recent death was well timed, then please excuse me. It's just that he was the man who famously united fashion with modern art, and now the two are back on the catwalks. His Mondrian dress perfectly embodied the bold geometry of the Sixties, and with it, Saint Laurent set a trend for eyeing up the art galleries.

Actually, 30 years earlier Elsa Schiaparelli combined couture fashion with surrealism, but it was Saint Laurent who gave this idea to the masses. Today, Dolce & Gabbana have upped the ante again. To be fair, at €30,000 (£23,960) each, their limited edition painted dresses, each numbered like an artist's canvas, aren't exactly accessible to those who count Marks & Spencer as their favourite shop. But their idea of getting art students to paint the fabrics has captivated the high street. There are now kindergarten brushstrokes at Topshop, Monet flowers at H&M and a splattering of abstract expressionism at Jigsaw. Focus is on the schools of art that have come since the Second World War.

What's nice about this trend is that the clothes have personality. Forget Mona Lisa's non-smile, these clothes are all about having fun and embracing colour and print. This blue and mauve Chloé dress, is so striking, it looks as if it has been lifted straight off the easel. It works because the shape is simple, which makes it easy to wear at any age. Alternatively, try keeping the artistic references contained. The cubism print doesn't dominate the front of this Sportmax dress, so you won't feel as if you should be hanging in the Tate.

It is worth remembering that successful artists don't always use print. Andy Warhol was a master at mixing block colour and detail. Which is certainly easier than wearing head-to-toe sunflowers.

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