Cultural History of Costume: Lace as Terra Incognita

Abstract

This article considers the problem of original as “Terra Incognita” in the cultural history of costume. The starting point here is a special case in the studies of costume theory. It is the cultural matrix of the West European lace — an insufficiently explored question in the context of the problem of prototype and its repetitions. The cultural text, provided by research object, is analyzed from the standpoint of authenticity and continuity of deposits. The study is focused on appeal to the history of Belle Epoque. at that time, carefully reproduced renaissance forms and their numerous interpretations were put into active circulation. It is noted that the imitative works of that time can be represented on a conventional scale related to their level of independence. They are replications, interpretations with varying degrees of liberty, and fakes. along with the history of lace, there are studied various kinds of repetitions in other subject areas of costumology. The article identifies the conditions in which inauthentic things can have a certain cultural value, defines their role in the formation of “imitative” costume. The study concludes that special cases, considered from the culturological point of view, can not only extend the event-series of the history of costume, but also serve as the basis for constructing cultural text of the era.