Fashionable Dress Research Articles

The “deliberate calculation of dress”: Strategic Uses of Fashion in George Egerton’s Keynotes and Discords

Abstract This article argues that George Egerton uses fashion as a sign system in the short stories included in Keynotes (1893) and Discords (1894). By utilizing minimalist physical descriptions of her protagonists’ dress, she privileges interiority and emphasizes how women achieve mobility of mind and body when they are freed from the physical suppression and psychological scrutiny associated with expectations for fashionable dress. In addition, she strategically manipulates the signifiers of bourgeois femininity by separating fashionable objects from the female body—often at the stress point of a story’s closure. Using a material culture approach that situates the stories within the context of late Victorian fashion plates, the article shows how Egerton delineates her primary theme—that women are defined by their interiority and not by the hyperfeminine, fashionable objects that are fetishized as integral to Victorian womanhood.

Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910, Claire Regnault (2021)

Review of: Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910, Claire Regnault (2021) Wellington: Te Papa Press, 456 pp., ISBN 978 0 99414 606 9 (hbk), NZ$70.00

VALUE ADDITION OF ERI SILK YARNS WITH ALLAMANDA GRANDIFLORA - A NATURAL COLOURANT

Eri silk is one of the four varieties of silk mostly available in northeastern region of India. Recent trends in the world market of silk revealed that eri silk had tremendous potential as it was gifted with unique properties of protecting human body from some aliments as well as its use as fashionable dress and furnishing materials besides providing comfort of warmth. To suit the norms of the present national and international market, dyeing eri silk with natural dyes contributes to its value chain. The information on dyeing eri silk with natural dyes is very meager and requires to be established. New source such as Allamanda grandiflora was not used for dyeing textiles as per the available literature. Effort was made to standardise variables involved in extraction of the dyes and dyeing eri silk yarns. The standardisation procedures described under materials and methods were used and the evaluation was based on colour strength (K/S values) measured using colour flex spectrophotometer. Among the three mordanting methods, Pre mordanting method exhibited better results compare with simultaneous and post mordanted samples. Among the five mordants, alum and chitin mordanted samples exhibited good fastness followed by tartaric acid, ferrous sulphate and stannous chloride mordanted samples.

The Decline of Female Mourning Wear: A Case Study Analysis of Frederic Forster's Mourning Warehouse 1849–1923 in Leeds, UK

This article discusses substantial new research which explored the trade in UK female mourning wear by tracing the history of Frederic Forster’s Mourning Warehouse, situated on Lower Briggate in Leeds 1849–1923. It also interrogated the small collection of Forster items held by Leeds Museums and Galleries (LMG). This helped to develop an understanding of why UK female mourning wear, which dominated the High Street in the late nineteenth century, began to diminish. The research subsequently examined what the Forster items signify to a present-day audience and whether the need for special clothing to denote mourning has decreased or is met by other clothing practices in a globalized world. A review of literature raised several explanations, suggesting that the cultural work done by mourning clothing is no longer required today and the symbolic efficacy of black mourning clothing disappeared as black became increasingly popular in fashionable dress. The study tested these suppositions through an object-based analysis of the items in the LMG collection and a database search of newspaper advertisements from Frederic Forster in the period 1849–1923. The research activities were filmed to synthesize the insights and the film was discussed with a selection of interview participants to explore significant new knowledge and understanding about the decline of the UK female mourning dress trade.

Krobo Dipo Dress Fashion Trends and Culture in Contemporary Ghana from 1950 to 2019

The study investigated the major fashion trends that have characterised Dipo rite from 1950 to 2019. The narrative and descriptive research designs, under the qualitative approach, were used to investigate the major Dipo dress fashion trends. The sample for the study comprised of four (4) respondents consisting of two (2) traditional rulers knowledgeable in Dipo traditions and customs and have experienced the Dipo rite for at least two decades; one (1) opinion leader, and one (1) photographer who has been a paparazzi during Dipo rites for more than a decade. Interview and non-participant observation constituted the data collection instruments while thematic and descriptive analysis were the analytical tools used. The suboe (red fabric), Kraala (white fabric), wax print and kente Fabrics are some of such materials that signal the major Krobo Dipo dress fashion trends. The dominant presence of the Euro-Christian and Islamic ideological infiltration and stereotyping of the Dipo rite of passage in Ghana has been unsuccessful in depleting Dipo dress cultural practice. Four major stages of Dipo rites were identified with each displaying an array of Dipo dress fashions in observance of the rite. They are the tying of string (sɔni), cleansing initiation (wearing of red loincloth), victory initiation (wearing of white loincloth), and dress-ups (Newuom and kawɔ). The wearing of variations of red and white loincloth, and dress-ups (Newuom and kawɔ) that characterised the last three stages of Dipo rite, revealed interesting stylistic Dipo fashion trends that serve as Dipo rite, Dipo dress culture, Krobo, fashion trend, cultural sustainability, wax print DOI: https://doi.org/10.59739/jaae.v3i1.062304 82 Journal of African Art Education Volume 3, Issue 1, May 2023 sources of inspiration for fashion designing. These fashion trends are predominately wraparound with accessories to match. Wax print fabrics were dominant fabrics used by initiates during the first dress-up called Newuom while Kente dominated in use for Kawↄ. The flamboyant public display of Dipo contemporary fashion is undoubtedly a unique advertising platform that textile manufacturing companies in Ghana should take advantage of to market their products.

Gender Stereotypes in Female Contemporary Dress Aesthetics

People always follow trends that are preferred by the mass, and stereotypes are generated as the trends spread out. Stereotypical aesthetics is somehow dominating society, because of the so-called norms of clothing and requirements. There are some potential problems with stereotypical aesthetics in females dress codes. The paper discusses the stereotypes of females dress code in the workplace, in daily fashionable wearing, and for different ages. The stereotype can be revealed from the clothes design, the brand concepts, and the emphasis on design. It is found that the stereotypes of female dress codes in the workplace have some negative impacts on the females body and their work. Furthermore, the stereotype of popular fashionable dress codes has been affected by social media and popular brands as well, and the socially moral judgments on females dress codes have contradicted what is prevailing in the real world. Last, the stereotypical impression of females of different ages has limited the creativity and diversity of clothing styles and aesthetics.

The ottoman women’s transformative agency: from traditional to modern interiors

While scholars have studied the significance of the press in the process of modernization of the Ottoman Empire in general terms, the effects of women’s periodicals on domestic architecture and design have not been adequately investigated. In the Tanzimat period (Reorganization) (1839–1876), some two thousand weekly and monthly newspapers and periodicals were published. Affordable press and the rise of literacy – particularly female literacy were the two driving forces of modernization. Readership expanded further in the Hamidian era (1876–1909). Later, perhaps emboldened by the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1908, Ottoman women published opinion pieces, designating themselves as authors. Operating as advice literature, women’s periodicals offered information on the latest European fashions in dress, music, crafts, the arts, family life, and etiquette. Some authors advocated for reforming residential interiors to reflect a more modern world view, while traditionalists opposed it. Ironically, even when traditionalist authors were warning their readers against the ill effects of Westernization to evoke fear in hearts and minds, they were still exposing them to a forbidden world; a world in which women had roles beyond wifehood and motherhood. The public discourse on the role of women in society, dress, and public etiquette led to the questioning of traditional gendered domestic spaces. The new Ottoman woman had to dwell in a modern domestic interior that reflected her newly-found values.

The ‘roaring’ twenties and African wildlife in fashionable dress: Part 1: Zebra fur patterns and femininity

The fur and fur patterns of African animals were part of the fashion industry’s exoticization of Africa during the 1920s. Avant-garde interest in African sculpture, African textiles and African jewellery blended with the popularity of jazz music played by African Americans to create a market for fashionable clothing inspired by Africa. Using fur from African animals, and textile prints and embroideries imitating fur patterns, reflected the most consistent interest in Africa. African safaris, world fairs and colonial expositions displaying African animals contributed to African exoticism. Books for children, textile designs illustrating African elephants and examples of fabric dyed colours called ‘lioness’ were some of the resulting consumer products. The graphic fur patterns of leopards, giraffes and zebras perfectly suited the bold geometric aesthetics of the Arts Modernes design style, while the fringe-like quality of monkey fur met the trend requirements for fringed evening wear. Zebra fur and patterns played a feminizing role in mediating the increasingly masculine dress and activities for women. The graphic black-and-white stripes linked the wearer to the exotics and adventure of Africa, while also reflecting contemporary design aesthetics and the hard-edged, chaotic American city. Because the zebra stripe originates on the fur of a peaceful prey animal, the pattern was perceived as graceful and feminine. For the modern women who wanted to participate in the adventures of the era, wearing zebra stripes tempered the interpretation of her wild life in the American urban jungle without compromising her femininity.

The ‘roaring’ twenties and African wildlife in fashionable dress: Part 2: The role of fur patterns in representations of the flapper and the development of sportswear

African animal fur patterns were part of the flapper’s wardrobe. Fur trade publications and the fashion press specifically linked leopard to flapper fashion. Wearing leopard fur connected the modern woman to the wilds of jazz dance and sexual promiscuity for which she was known. Celebrity flappers like Nancy Cunard wore leopard. Illustrators like John Held Jr. made giraffe fur patterns part of this flapper look, though giraffe was short-lived and had more aristocratic and graceful connotations than leopard. African leopard, giraffe, gazelle and zebra were all linked to the new clothing category called sportswear. These furs were sometimes called jungle furs to exoticize their origins in Africa and connect them to the popularity of jazz, ‘jungle’ music. The fur patterns eventually became part of the exotic pyjama, thus promoting an early form of sportswear pant being worn outside the home for the beach by the end of the twenties.

The Dangers of Dress in Nikolai Gogol´'s St Petersburg

Nikolai Gogol´ (1809–52) showed a fascination with clothes in both his life and his fictional writing. This article examines how he used clothing in his Petersburg stories to explore the relationship between the individual and imperial society. Imperial power was perpetuated through uniform and fashion dress codes by means of the processes of metonymy and mimesis. In Gogol´'s St Petersburg, these processes pose a danger to the individual, but also provide some limited opportunities for self-expression.

Mimicking the Mode: The Fashionable Dress of Working-Class San Franciscans, 1880–95

In the late nineteenth century, the fashionable garments of women in the United States drew inspiration from the abundance of contemporary sources available to them, ranging from fashion plates in women’s periodicals to sewing patterns and ready-to-wear clothing. As Joan Severa details in her seminal book Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840–1900 (1995), studio photographs from the time demonstrate precisely how high fashion was reinterpreted by working-class Americans in terms of materials, fit, and wear to suit their particular needs and lifestyles. One portrait album recently discovered at an estate sale illustrates Severa’s thesis, and this article offers a close examination of the album in tandem with contemporary fashion coverage in newspapers and elsewhere, social history, and demographics specific to working-class San Francisco. A focused regional case study, it offers insight into dress codes at a particular place and time that have to date been little studied by fashion scholars.

The Signifying Role of the Dress in the Novel “In Search of Lost Time” (A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu) by Marcel Proust

Marcel Proust knew how to write fashion. A fashionable dress makes a fashionable woman, and vice versa; a gorgeous, elegant woman makes her dress fashionable. The outfits of the best-dressed women in Parisian society are at one with their beautiful owners. As a result, the description of fine clothing in Marcel Proust’s novel “In Search of Lost Time” (A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu) is much more than just the accurate recreation of various dress codes and popular fashions of the time. The aim of the article is to explore how a costume “performs” in a work of literature. We assume that the attire does not simply highlight the natural beauty of a woman, but also gives a glimpse of her inner self, accentuating its strong and weak points. Through the agency of how she is clothed, we learn a lot about a woman, though the importance of Proust`s detailed descriptions has often been underestimated in academic literature.

GAYA HIDUP IMITASI PENGGEMAR DRAMA KOREA DI PROGRAM STUDI PENDIDIKAN SOSIOLOGI FKIP UNIVERSITAS TANJUNGPURA PONTIANAK

The purpose of this study is to describes the cognitive processes (attention, retention,production of behavior, and motivation) of fans who imitated Korean drama in theSociology Education Study Program, FKIP, Tanjungpura University Pontianak, usingAlbert Bandura's social learning theory. Research approach used qualitative approachdescriptive form. Data collection techniques used are observation, interview, anddocumentation. Data collection tools using observation guides, interview guides,documentation tools. Data analysis techniques used are data reduction, datapresentation, and conclusion. The research analysis was presented descriptivelythrough 3 informants as students of Korean drama fans. The results of this study showedthat the process of fan attention that imitates Korean dramas is the appearance of goodlooking artists, it attracts the attention of informants, from fashionable dress styles tonatural makeup styles. the retention process is watching the drama and updating theartist's social media posts every day in their spare time. Behavioral production processis to imitate fashion in the form of outer knitting, mini dress and natural make up style,by buying a variety of supporting local products that are cheaper in the Indonesianonline marketplace. The motivation of fans is that they want to look stylish and cool likeKorean drama artists. By imitating this, making brands confident because the style ofappearance is in accordance with their tastes.Keywords: Imitation Lifestyle, Korean Drama Fans, Social Learning.

Retracted: Wideband circularly polarised antenna ‘multi‐input‐multi‐output’ for wireless UWB applications

AbstractCircularly polarised multiple‐input‐output antennas embedded in wearable wireless devices attract importance in the individual security and beauty fabric modelling industry involving technology embedded on‐clothes wearables. A circularly polarised wideband is designed and analysed in the present design‐study where a wearable application uses a multiple‐input‐output. It adds 2 symmetric ‘Multi‐Input‐Multi‐Output’ antennas that are good looking design like a swan‐shaped, and the ground plane is similar to the shape of a swan. The designed novel antenna comprises a ground plane having a line feed and a rectangular inverted L‐type micro‐strip which is supporting circular polarisation. The antenna element is spanning at 3‐DeciBell (dB) Axial Ratio Band‐Width of 5.2–7.1 GHz and an impedance bandwidth (S11 less than or equal to −10 dB) of 3.6–13 GHz. The proposed antenna manifesting a channel capacity loss less than 0.2 b/s/Hz, and envelope correlation coefficient less than the value 0.02, total active reflective coefficient less than −10 dB, and diversity gain greater than the value of 9.96, Mean Effective Gain (also represented as MEG) ratio is within ±0.5 dB. There is a twin‐sense circular polarisation in this antenna and superior isolation between resonating elements (greater than 18). The proposed antenna for human tissues specimens is also discussed with its specific absorption rate (also pronounced as SAR) in different situations that pertain to the living body. The overall size of the proposed ‘Circularly Polarised’ textile ‘Multi‐Input‐Multi‐Output’ antenna is 34:5 × 42 × 1 mm3. Because of its textile layers, reasonable performance, and compact size, the designed ‘Multi‐Input‐Multi‐Output’ antenna may be useful for wearable applications. The presented novel antenna can be made unrecognisable with a beautiful swan‐shaped design that can simply comingle with the other designs of fabric (in the fashion dress). The simulated antenna was made‐up following regular and general manual techniques and verified in the proposed conditions. The corner‐to‐corner distance between the ‘Multi‐Input‐Multi‐Output’ antennas is 14.2 mm, and the achieved isolation is beyond 18 dB after suitable adjustments of the designed final antenna.

Circularly Polarized Wideband Fabric Stealth Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Antenna for Ultrawideband Applications Useful for Wireless Systems Wearable on Garments

Stealth wearable wireless devices are gaining much attention in the personal security and fashion designing industry. A multiple-input multiple-output wideband circularly polarized antenna wearable on a dress (textile-related), which is immune to bending, is described in this paper, where a wearable on fabric dress application uses the MIMO techniques. It consists of two multiple-input multiple-output types of antenna elements: the resonating elements are created resembling a beautiful peacock shape and the ground plane is appropriately designed. A voltage is applied to each antenna element; the ground plane contains a microstrip transmission line-fed and a rectangular upside-down L-shaped (vertically flipped) strip used for circular polarizing. The antenna covers a 3 dB axial-ratio-band-width (ARBW) value of 5.20–7.10 GHz and impedance bandwidth (S11 less than −10 dB) of 03.60–13.0 GHz. The proposed attachable wearable fabric (textile) multiple-input multiple-output wideband antenna exhibits envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) <0.02, diversity gain (DG) >9.96, channel capacity loss (CCL) <0.2 b/s/Hz, total active reflective coefficient (TARC) <−10 dB, mean effective gain (MEG) ratio within ±0.5 dB. There is dual-sense circular polarization in this antenna and high isolation between resonating elements (higher than 18). A specific absorption rate (SAR) of the proposed antenna for human tissues specimen is also discussed for different situations related to the human body. The overall size of the proposed CP textile MIMO antenna is 34 : 5 × 42 × 1 mm3. Because of its clothing layers (textile), practical performance, and miniature size, the designed MIMO antenna may be helpful for wearable on cloths on human body wireless devices and systems. The proposed antenna can be made unrecognizable because of the beautiful peacock design that can easily mix with the designs of fabric (in the fashion dress). The simulated antenna was fabricated with the help of conventional manual fabrication techniques and tested in real-time situations. The edge-to-edge distance amid the MIMO radiating antennas is 14.2 mm, and the achieved isolation is greater than 18 dB after optimization of the proposed antenna.

Feeling Time, Fashioning Age: Pre-teen Girls Negotiating Life Course and the Ageing Process Through Dress

Based on research with eight to eleven-year-old girls from the South of England, I discuss the relationship between their clothes, identity, temporality, life course and the ageing process. Despite media accounts suggesting the passivity of pre-teen girls’ fashionable dress consumption, unknowingly becoming prematurely sexualised through hyper-feminine dress, by using the interlinking of materiality and life course as a lens to explore girls’ understanding of fashion, my research showed that girls engage with popular debates about age-appropriate dress. I demonstrate that the participants were aware of sexual generationing and explored older, hyper-feminine, sexualised identities at specific, socially-approved times. Most significantly, this materiality/life course approach offers new insights into how girls explore the past, present and the future, feeling the passing of time and the ageing process on their bodies, through the materiality of their clothes. It is through dress that girls come to understand age, temporality and where they are on their life course.

“The President Has Gone Western on Us”: Analysis of the 2021 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony Dress Fashion Choice of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ghana

In contributing to the debate on presidential dress fashion politics and diplomacy in Ghana, the study investigated the views of Ghanaian audience (respondents) on the dress fashion choice of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his 2021 presidential inaugural ceremony. Adopting qualitative enquiry design, interviews and opinionnaires, the study elicited the views of seventeen (17) respondents comprising; fashion and textiles enthusiasts, Ghanaian cultural experts and the general public. The study found that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo adopted Eurocentric suit for his 2021 presidential investiture. Since Eurocentric suit is culturally alien to Ghanaian dress cultural identity, its choice was described as non-nationalistic and a disservice to the textiles and fashion industry in Ghana. It is recommended that succeeding Ghanaian presidents-elect should endeavour to source their dress fashions from the rich Ghanaian traditional textiles and fashion products in order to visually communicate their Ghanaian nationalistic identity as well as promote the unique Ghanaian textiles and fashion industry to the patronage of both local and international community.

"The President Has Gone Western on Us": Analysis of the 2021 Ghanaian Presidential Inaugural Ceremony Dress Fashion Choice of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

"The President Has Gone Western on Us": Analysis of the 2021 Ghanaian Presidential Inaugural Ceremony Dress Fashion Choice of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Authentic style–fashion–dress negotiations of married lesbian couples on their wedding day

In 2015, a United States Supreme Court ruling allowed same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Since that time, there have been over one million same-sex marriages in the United States, and the number of same-sex marriages has increased every year (Romero, 2017). With this work, we conducted an in-depth, exploratory study on how lesbian married couples in the United States negotiated their style–fashion–dress on their wedding day. The work was guided by theory exploring authenticity as related to self-expression through appearance, and in particular, the notion that individuals mobilize a diverse array of products within the consumer marketplace to articulate an authentic identity or self. We conducted a single, semi-structured, in-depth interview with a photo-elicitation component with 10 lesbian married couples. Our analyses revealed themes that interconnected with the overarching concept of authenticity. Specifically, analyses demonstrated that, as participants sought to articulate an authentic identity through their wedding day style–fashion–dress, they often became entangled in gender and other symbolic negotiations that prompted feelings of empowerment as well as experiences of ambivalence and/or the need to engage in various forms of emotional labor or renegotiations of meaning. Four themes that emerged included (1) ambivalence, renegotiations, and labor surrounding the identity or concept of “bride” or what it means to be a bride; (2) gender expressions and experiences as central to the negotiation and construction of style–fashion–dress for the wedding day; (3) representations of the authentic self in wedding day style–fashion–dress; and (4) heteronormative experiences. Findings from the present study also revealed that lesbian couples sought to redefine what it means to be a bride/person getting married, a form of political action enacted through wedding day style–fashion–dress. Findings suggest implications for lesbian, queer, and heterosexual–focused wedding retailers and event planners to consider in order to provide an affirming experience for the increasing number of same-sex married couples in the United States.

Critical reflections on cultural appropriation, race and the role of fancy dress costume

Cultural appropriation in fashionable dress has become an increasingly urgent subject within scholarly and generalist discussions. Few weeks now pass without a news story criticizing a fashion brand for producing and promoting culturally insensitive clothing. A form of clothing most frequently and controversially associated with cultural trespass, but generally marginalized within academic enquiries, is fancy dress costume. This article seeks, first, to promote a critical and continuous academic engagement with fancy dress costume and contribute to a growing body of scholarship that recognizes its cultural and social importance. Second, I complicate discussions about the causes of cultural appropriation within fancy dress costume by reflecting on the circumstances and motives in which people perform, dressed very differently to their conventional appearance. Addressing these points, the article makes a unique contribution to clothing studies and discussions about cultural appropriation by advocating a more nuanced understanding of people’s self-awareness when they participate in fancy dress costume, and suggests how this might be achieved.