History
From Fetish to Fashion: Using Style as a Commodity in 19th Century Britain
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
History & Classics
Start Date
13-4-2018 9:30 AM
End Date
13-4-2018 10:15 AM
Sponsor
Vivian Deno (Butler University)
Description
From Fetish to Fashion focuses on how the juxtaposition between the state and the body can be manifested through a surprising medium: women’s fashion. Eastern eroticism was heightened through British designers, as seen in the development of the Western kimono. Japanese representation in art and design brought about an age when, according to a reporter at an international exhibition, “even the greatest mistresses of European crafts lay down their weapons in shame." It was through the development of Japanese designs, Orientalist ideals, and the importance of the body that the influence of women’s fashions were able to transcend national borders.
This paper examines how the British women’s fashion designers of the second half of the 19th century accessed themes of Japanese design following the opening of Japan to foreign trade, it examines the nexus of state politics and culture in an Orientalist frame, exposing the relationship of the cognation of Japanese trade and the rising fascination with Japanese culture. By incorporating traditional Japanese motifs of naturalism and the symbolism of the geisha seen in exhibitions and exposition, designers were able to produce a new genre of fashion that would influence the relationship between Britain and Japan leading up to the 20th century. Japonsime in fashion ushered in a wave of Orientalism toward Japan, therefore encouraging Britain to alter is viewpoint on the country, eventually culminating with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902.
From Fetish to Fashion: Using Style as a Commodity in 19th Century Britain
Indianapolis, IN
From Fetish to Fashion focuses on how the juxtaposition between the state and the body can be manifested through a surprising medium: women’s fashion. Eastern eroticism was heightened through British designers, as seen in the development of the Western kimono. Japanese representation in art and design brought about an age when, according to a reporter at an international exhibition, “even the greatest mistresses of European crafts lay down their weapons in shame." It was through the development of Japanese designs, Orientalist ideals, and the importance of the body that the influence of women’s fashions were able to transcend national borders.
This paper examines how the British women’s fashion designers of the second half of the 19th century accessed themes of Japanese design following the opening of Japan to foreign trade, it examines the nexus of state politics and culture in an Orientalist frame, exposing the relationship of the cognation of Japanese trade and the rising fascination with Japanese culture. By incorporating traditional Japanese motifs of naturalism and the symbolism of the geisha seen in exhibitions and exposition, designers were able to produce a new genre of fashion that would influence the relationship between Britain and Japan leading up to the 20th century. Japonsime in fashion ushered in a wave of Orientalism toward Japan, therefore encouraging Britain to alter is viewpoint on the country, eventually culminating with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902.