How to Dress Like a Bauhaus Student

Get the Bauhaus look

By Google Arts & Culture

Dessau Bauhaus heads (from the Bauhaus photo album by Fritz Schreiber) (1931/32) by unknownBauhaus Dessau Foundation

Bauhaus students were not only experimental with their fabrics but they were experimental with their style. Follow these top styling tips to make your own Bauhaus-inspired look...

Ruth Hollos on loom in self-woven dress (1931/32) by Erich Consemüller (Photo)Bauhaus Dessau Foundation

Make it yourself!

The ‘do it yourself‘ trend embraces the Bauhaus enthusiasm for experimentation and individuality. Don’t be afraid to grab a sewing machine, some fabrics, and some thread, and make your own looks.

Upholstery fabric (ca. 1931) by Bauhaus Dessau, weavingBauhaus Dessau Foundation

Create clothes that are made to last

Bauhaus students bridged the gap between weaving and engineering. Some of the fabrics made by textile designers at the Bauhaus were extra strong, sound proof, and stain resistant.

Untitled (Konrad Püschel and Hilde Katz dressed for the Metal Party) (1929-02-09) by unknownBauhaus Dessau Foundation

Or wear anything but clothes...

At the famous Bauhaus metallic party in 1929, everyone wore homemade outfits made of tin foil, frying pans, and spoons. Who knew kitchen utensils were so multi-functional!

Marcel Breuer with his Harem (from l. to r.: Marcel Breuer, Martha Erps, Katt Both, Ruth Hollos) (1926) by Erich Consemüller (Photo)Bauhaus Dessau Foundation

No need to brush your hair

Women at the Bauhaus were encouraged to express themselves creatively. Iconic Bauhaus students, such as architect Marcel Breuer, wore their hair in a short, scrubby style – no hairbrush needed here.

Bauhaus stage. Pantomime 'Treppenwitz' by Oskar Schlemmer (1927) by Erich Consemüller (Photo)Bauhaus Dessau Foundation

The weirder the better

On the Bauhaus stage in Dessau, you could find students dressed in playful costumes that experimented with the relationship between body, form, space, and movement. It doesn’t get more ‘art school’ than this.

Untitled (Colour circle, six-part. Exercise from Wassily Kandinsky's theory of colours class) (1929) by Reinhold RossigBauhaus Dessau Foundation

Match your colors and patterns

Bauhaus students were interested in matching the colors yellow, red, and blue to the shapes of the circle, the triangle, and the square… can you guess which ones go together?

The Sublime Side (Bauhaus postcard no. 4 for the Bauhaus exhibition of 1923) (1923) by Paul KleeBauhaus Dessau Foundation

The triangle is yellow, the square is red, and the circle is blue, so if you’re wearing any of those shapes in your look, make sure they match!

Untitled (Bauhauslers on the shore of the Elbe) (1925-05-21) by Irene Angela Bayer (née Hecht)Bauhaus Dessau Foundation

Discover more about the influence of Bauhaus Everywhere

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