Kristian David
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Considering that this work was done in the midst of a global pandemic, I would like to start by expressing my sincerest gratitude to my parents who have let me turn their apartment into an atelier for a few months. Furthermore, I want to thank the faculty and lab operators at The Swedish School of Textiles for constantly making sure that their students are as content as can be. A large thank you goes to Ms. Caktas and Ms. Saikkonen for always going the extra mile in aiding with any construction- and sewing complications. An extra special thanks to Ms. Malmgren De Oliveira for always pushing to the full potential of a developed expression. My appreciation and thanks to Ms. Koohnavard for being an understanding and responsive go-to supervisor. In addition, I am also highly appreciative of Mr. Thornquist’s brief, yet utterly valuable teachings and comments during seminars and presentations. Last but certainly not least, I am indebted to my supervisor and mentor Ms. Blomgren who has gone above and beyond to teach me the valuable lesson of working narrowly and swiftly, but most importantly - to candidly trust the design process.
1 Kristian David
To Construct A Bridge: Recontextualizing a selection of original and cultural Levantine and Arabian elements in a take on men’s suits, thobes and accompanying traditional attire
2 Kristian David
ABSTRACT
In terms of dress, there are various misconceptions that exist in our ever-so conscious society, which can make Easterners in the Occident neglect aesthetics that are linked to their roots. Orientalist notions of the Middle East and its complex history of conflict have both played their part in developing a cultural disconnection between the East and the Western world. This area of investigation explores the recontextualization of a selection of original and cultural elements from the Levant and Arabian Peninsula by the means of construction within men’s suits, thobes and accompanying traditional attire. The work implies to challenge the Western world’s dominant influence on fashion, where it becomes crucial to assert cultural aspects linked to facts and aesthetic value.
What could be deemed as lacking in fashion is an intricate appropriation of Levantine and Arabian elements in relation to shape, proportion and material. In this exploration, it is executed through placing the selected components alongside Westerly ‘reserved’ categories such as the exaggerated shoulder pad, where each action is influenced by the outcome of the previous. The result can be described as a convergence between expressions that are culturally polarizing, which can reinvent the narrative of Westerly misperceived dress and symbols that are both ubiquitous and preserved in the transcultural region.
KEYWORDS
- Fashion Design - Menswear - Recontextualization - Convergence - Symbolism
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DESIGN RESULT
All keffiyehs used in this work are woven in the Hirbawi Textile Factory in Hebron, Palestine. Lookbook images by Carlo Baudone.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3. AIM 4. ABSTRACT + KEYWORDS 5. LOOKBOOK 14. INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD 15. MOTIVE 16. STATE OF THE ART 19. METHOD AND DEVELOPMENT 29. RESULT 36. TECH PACK 40. DISCUSSION 41. REFERENCES
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- INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD
THE MIDDLE EAST & ORIENTALISM
Generally, from a cultural point of view, there are many differences between the West, also known as the Occident, and the East, established as the Orient (Said 1979). Numerous cultural and traditional objects are ubiquitous in various parts of the world, in this case the Middle East, yet controversial in the Western hemisphere. But what is this disconnection based on?
According to Mulder (2020), imperial systems such as those that ruled the Middle East for the majority of its history — [...] “spanning vast swathes of the globe and encompassing an immense diversity of ethnicities, faith traditions and customs — have of pragmatic necessity had to develop systems of accommodation, ways to avoid war”. This implies certain principles that inhabitants in the Occident might struggle to acknowledge.
Edward Said has established the term ‘Orientalism’, which serves as a critical concept to outline the Western world’s common portrayal of the ‘The East’ i.e. the Orient (Wikipedia, 2020). The term generally reflects the Western style to restructure, dictate, and acquire authority over the East (Kwon 2011). This makes the concept to date the central source of faulty cultural representations that shapes the Western perception and thought of the Eastern world (2020).
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MOTIVE
Having roots in the Middle East whilst being in a Western country can make many feel pressure to conform to Western society. In this case, the adoption of trends and neglection of one's own culture is common in order to gain acceptance. Crucial examples are changing one’s name to a Western one, believing it is a purification process that will help in employment, and refraining from speaking a native language in public. Also, since one is likely standing out ethnically, it can for many become crucial to be selective of what one is wearing in certain environments in order to avoid being racially profiled. For instance, according to Lynch et al. (2015), many muslim men in the West pull back from wearing pan-Islamic fashion on a daily basis because it is linked to political extremism or religious fanaticism. Therefore, one often chooses to dignify oneself by simply conforming to societal standards as the ‘easy way out’. Consequently, relying on this ‘mainstream’ manner comes with disregarding valuable, cultural components such as the keffiyeh and/or the thobe, as they are perceived as controversial in the West.
Edward Said further describes Orientalism as a discourse that exists in an uneven exchange with various kinds of power, such as power morals based on the ideas of “[...] (what ‘we’ do and what ‘they’ 'cannot do or understand as ‘we’ do).” (1979). He continues by stating that the Westerner is put in a whole series of potential relations with the Orient without ever losing the upper hand, based on a constant dependency on positional superiority (Said 1979). This indicates that the Orientalist narrative portrays Easterners as inferior, which is why it becomes crucial in this case to take back a sense of authority that the Occident claims over the Orient. In that sense, an effective tool is to impenitently appropriate a Western power symbol adjacent to Westerly controversial elements, and this is where shoulder pads can play a role. In their newly established and reappropriated forms, they can rewrite the narrative of hierarchical aesthetics in the West.
Although recontextualization is a concept that has been touched upon by a few designers, an intricate reimagination of cultural components that creates a convergence could still be deemed as uninvestigated. When looking at designers who have integrated Arabian or Levantine prints, there is a sense of miscommunication and exotification present in the way symbols are simply printed and displayed in a stereotypical manner. On the other hand, recontextualizing a segment of Westerly misrepresented cultural components from the transcultural region creates potential for modernization and destigmatization, whilst also forming a bridge between polarizing expressions. Having Assyrian roots also indirectly forms a responsibility to reclaim cultural objects that are tied to that heritage, seeing that elements such as the keffiyeh/shemagh has a Sumerian history (Worsley 2011).
The aim of this work is to recontextualize a selection of original and cultural Levantine and Arabian elements in a take on men’s suits, thobes and accompanying traditional attire
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STATE OF THE ART
Paria Farzaneh is an example of a menswear designer who combines her Iranian heritage with the streetwear genre to challenge preconceptions of the Middle East (Davey 2018). Her mix of Western and Middle Eastern references includes wood-block printed textiles made in Iran, that she fuses with garments such as anoraks. This meeting, along with working with inserts such as piping and letting the textile take over whole garments creates an innovative clash between two worlds.
To form a modern convergence with the traditional wood-block print in mind, Farzaneh combines beige, olive green and scarlet red alongside technical materials. These aspects can be further built on, where, for one, the cultural item in question can be integrated in a variety of colors, such as in a monochromatic manner. Also, texture-wise, there is a gap to fill in treating and modifying the integrated materials to enhance and widen the recontextualization.
Further, the expression is presented in Westerly conventional silhouettes, especially in relation to streetwear. While this approach makes the textile a dominant feature, it is a fairly orthodox way of recontextualizing cultural elements, especially Middle Eastern ones. Therefore, another aspect to consider is pushing the envelope regarding shape in relation to the selected components and their respective adaptations.
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In his 2018 fall-collection that radiates cross-cultural meanings, Alessandro Michele does not shy away from touching upon questions such as self-regeneration and constructing an identity (Mower 2018). With Michele’s consistent mixture of prints, colors and materials, the designer manages to clash various symbols adjacent to folk-inspired dresses. Further, a wide variety of silhouettes including baggy, straight and A-lines, to name a few, are displayed.
The cultural elements presented are recontextualized through styling and make-up in relation to a vast variety of models, where many examples include fake unibrows alongside embellished babushkas and lace-allusions to burkas. Further components seen are turbans, lucha libre-inspired masks, Scottish plaid, a pagoda hat, English tweed and belly dance adornments (2018).
There is potential to build on this artistic strategy in terms of reinventing conservative motifs that are controversial and misconceived within the Western hemisphere. In order to modify the conception of such elements, they can collectively and impenitently be repurposed, so that a meeting between culturally polarizing sectors can emerge. Also, by redesigning and letting an original item take up a whole garment rather than merely being an accessory or allusion, one can adopt a more focused and direct approach in terms of recontextualization.
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Street brand Vetements has established the boxy silhouette with the use of shoulder pads in garments such as t-shirts and hoodies, which mixes a sense of superiority with casualness. Fashion house Balenciaga as directed by Demna Gvasalia has adopted a similar approach within tailoring, where raised sleeve heads and square shoulders are displayed. Slight variations in the width and shape of the shoulders are constantly presented in a selection of coats, suits, dresses and jackets.
Rick Owens is another example of a designer who has recently started to implement experimentations of the shoulder pad. He presented his mens- and womenswear collections for fall 2020 through a play on proportions and silhouettes, where he took the shoulder pad to new heights by raising it. This resulted in a range of peak and rounded shapes that radically alter the shape of the body. With the use of materials such as wool, leather, jersey and polyester, Owens integrates the pads similarly to Balenciaga in terms of garment types, although with alternate cuts.
In terms of reserved sections in fashion, the accentuated shoulder pad is a clear example of a category that is rather occupied by the fashion scene in the Western hemisphere. As seen in previous examples, it is mostly applied to archetypes, mostly tailored ones, that are common in the Western world. However, in modest dress, specifically an attire such as the traditional thobe, is rarely modified beyond material, color and trimmings. In these cases, including a few examples of different cuts of the garment, it is done with typical sport- and formal references borrowed from Western fashion, presented on Western models.
The lack of appropriation of the thobe by Western designers could be based on the perception of it being exclusively associated with religion, and therefore considered preserved. Making ends meet within these boundaries forms a necessary challenge of a status quo in relation to polarizing dress types that the Occident may associate with backwardness. This inclusive convergence has the potential to, per say, broaden the perspective of what we associate sophistication, class and positional superiority with.
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METHOD & DEVELOPMENT
METHOD OF EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The method used in this exploration is tied to an interest in forming a meeting between traditionally polarizing expressions, where recontextualization was recognised as a suitable principle. By subjectively relying on the controversy surrounding cultural elements from the Levant and Arabian Peninsula in the Occident, the sub themes could plainly be framed. But in order to establish a recontextualization, one needs to have an object that can be placed in a different context (Merriam-Webster).
The suitable strategy adopted was therefore identified as ‘Adaptive strategy’ (Jones 1992), which can generally be described as letting each action be influenced by the outcome of the previous. Within this approach, an alternate take on the method ‘Explore your world’ found in Professor Thornquist’s book Artistic Development In [Fashion] Design was also incorporated (Thornquist 2010). An extended and modified version of the strategy can be described as following:
- Make a brief research that involves real things - Work from/with an idea - Develop garment(s)/element(s) based on the idea - Repeat steps with an abundance of ideas - Examine elements in the ideas to find particular traits that relate to the theme(s) - Make prototype if needed - Assemble final garment
Figure 9 distinctly shows the initial investigation based on the idea of establishing a silhouette by spontaneously starting from super flared trousers in corduroy and velvet with a slightly stretched thigh seam. It is followed by the same idea repeated by flipping the lower trouser panels upside down, gathering the wide hem in the thigh seam (fig 10).
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THE KEFFIYEH
The keffiyeh is a central and traditional head covering worn throughout the Middle East. It is a square cotton cloth that is usually black-patterned or red-patterned (Worsley 2011), where the symbolic meaning, style and color varies from one country and area to another (Amjad & Sameer 2019). As they are sometimes referred to as the same object, there is a distinction in the characterization of the headdresses used in the region. The shemagh or ghutra is worn in the Arabian Gulf, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, whereas the keffiyeh is mostly associated with Palestine (Wikipedia). The head coverings are in some areas always paired with the traditional thobe, an ankle-length garment, normally made of cotton and typically worn in the Levant and Arabian Peninsula. Renfro (2017) states that “far from the popular image in the US, which imagines that wearing such attire is prima facie support for terrorism, the keffiyeh is a symbol of solidarity for the pursuit of social justice under occupation by Israel”. Further, he suggests that the West either solely interweaves the fabric with anti-Arab racism, or exclusively brands it as a fashionable accessory.
THE SHOULDER PAD
According to Dr. Almond’s analysis on shoulder pads in Western fashion (2019), they are considered cultural signifiers of perseverance and resilience, where male and female shoulders have evolved variously. The male shoulder has throughout history been extended and exaggerated in not only fashionable attire, but also military clothing. Broad shoulders are further described as indicators of the ability to carry psychological, physical and emotional burden. In female fashion, as women began to take up more traditional masculine roles, the square shoulder started to come into its own in the early 1940’s, in a period of political turmoil. However, it was not before the widespread use of shoulder pads had been popularized by designers Marcel Rochas and Elsa Schiaparelli (Almond 2019). Today, shoulder pads are omnipresent internationally, mainly in the form of suits and coats. In design, a handful of raised shapes beyond power dressing have hit the runways, including propositions from Balmain, Mugler and more.
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CULTURAL RECONTEXTUALIZATION
According to Oxford Reference, two out of four definitions of the term recontextualization are;
1. “The process in which any representation changes the meaning of what it ostensibly merely re-presents by reframing it in a different context: [...].”
2. Applying a concept associated with or developed in one context to other situations (Oxfordreference.com)
The keffiyeh has been recontextualized numerous times by various designers, although rarely in its original form. In his 2008 menswear spring-collection, John Galliano recontextualized the cultural symbol in a military-themed collection that displayed a depiction of the Arab-as-terrorist stereotype. Whilst shutting out any sense of conservatism, Galliano showed a redesigned version of it as underwear alongside soldier uniforms with stick-on beards and BDSM-components, directly challenging the preservation of it. Meanwhile, Blanks (2007) simply referred to the symbol as ‘Arabic-influenced prints’, outwardly undermining the cultural value of the keffiyeh.
Cecilie Copenhagen is another designer who has borrowed the keffiyeh print in various combinations in womenswear applied to shirts, dresses, skirts and shorts. The prints are produced in various colors that are also typical in counterfeit keffiyehs made in countries such as China.
After facing backlash for appropriating the symbol, the brand issued an official apology. However, their attempt to make amends contained some faulty information regarding the keffiyeh, such as it in some cases is referred to as ‘igal’, which is the accompanying black cord worn to keep the headdress in place. This faux pas and their archetypal approach to commodifying the symbol indicates that their aim is merely based on the capitalization of Arabian and Levantine culture.
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METHODS FOR EVALUATION AND DESIGN DECISIONS
LOOK 1: THE TRADITIONAL THOBE WITH RAISED PAGODA SHOULDERS
During the process of selecting elements, it felt natural to implement the thobe, especially as a western suit (look 3) was initially integrated. Traditionally, the thobe is straight and has an ankle-length with long sleeves (fig 19). It was decided to keep as much of the standard features as possible, considering that it was lengthened and given flares to match the A-line and fall of the established suit silhouette that was initiated in the beginning of the investigation. This attire was given raised pagoda shoulders in order to establish a signature shoulder style, after the standard pagoda shoulder was directly appropriated in the velvet suit as a starting point.
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LOOK 2: THE PATCHWORK KEFFIYEH THOBE
Raised slightly above the ankles, the patchwork thobe is based on carving into the symbolic connotations of the keffiyeh, which directly questions its sense of preservation in the Occident. Here, it is directly repurposed into a patchworked, conceptual piece made from the most common red-and-white combination, paired with the white-and-black one that is mostly seen in Palestine and Iraq. These are accompanied by green-and-white and blue-and-white keffiyehs, where the former is said to have a political association. The color combination was also established to set the tone for the color palette of the line-up.
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LOOK 3: THE NEW PAGODA SUIT WITH KEFFIYEH HALTER NECK
The pagoda shoulder was initially chosen as a key component, as the name itself is a form of Orientalist appropriation. The shoulder was established by Pierre Cardin (fig 25), who named it after the tiered tower common in Asia, which can be traced to the stupa of ancient India. Reappropriating the established shoulder formed a strong starting point to establish further shapes by the means of exaggeration.
By pairing the shoulder with a silhouette that was developed in the initial investigation set the tone for a shape to start from. This became an A-line suit silhouette paired with the keffiyeh (fig 28), which was rearranged into a gathered halter neck with a laminated collar.
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LOOK 4: THE JALSA ABAYA AND THE FLAG OF IRAQ
‘Jalsa’ is not only an Arabic term for gatherings, but also a name for the upholstery fabric that is seen in lounge settings, such as in hookah lounges and restaurants, and is ostensibly marketed as ‘Oriental seating’ (fig 30). The material was initially reserved for a suit jacket with peak shoulders (fig 32). However, this was discarded during the process because it looked forced in relation to the heavy material and intense pattern. Instead, a photo from a previous styling session was extracted (fig 33), and it was naturally repurposed based on the folkloric, handmade and often T-shaped Lebanese ‘Abaya’, that is worn in village welcomings in Lebanon (fig 31).
The flag of Iraq was incorporated based on its ‘Americanized’ notoriety, which indirectly places it in the same frame as the keffiyeh. It was initially made into a pair of ‘Sirwal’ (fig 34), in the Occident known as harem pants, before being accompanied by a button up shirt that formed a set. The flag was specifically repurposed into trousers based on the blasphemy of flying Middle Eastern flags that manifest a holy scripture at half-mast. The colors of the flag adjacent to the abaya also served to balance out the overall color palette.
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LOOK 5: THE BLUE RHINESTONE KEFFIYEH THOBE
Look number five is a continuation of repurposing the keffiyeh into a garment. In this example, the keffiyeh is converted into a longer thobe that ends just below the ankles. With hand embroidered rhinestones that follow the pattern (fig 36), the recontextualization is based on unswervingly questioning the role of the keffiyeh by placing it adjacent to a craft technique. The embroidery lines were also used in the cutting of the garment, which made it natural to mark crucial points such as the waist, which also referenced the high waisted pants. To proceed on the theme of embroidery, the thobe was paired with flared trousers machine embroidered with Ezekiel 25 from The Bible (fig 37). Although barely visible under the thobe, the motif was integrated as a stance against the paradoxical mixture of fear and exotification of the Arabic scripture in the Occident.
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LOOK 6: THE WHITE KEFFIYEH SUIT
The white keffiyeh suit is a repeated silhouette from the initial investigation, and a direct response to renowned Western signature patterns found in suits, such as Prince of Wales. Based on the patchwork thobe, the peak shoulders were slightly raised in order to maintain a gradual effect amongst the shoulders (fig 40). For the suit, various layers of interlining were put underneath (fig 39), which exposed the pattern and gave the fabric thickness, which was crucial in order to craft the suit jacket. This was also used as additional fusing along with a canvas interlining.
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LOOK 7: THE HIGH WAISTED KEFFIYEH SIRWAL
The high waisted pants were established in the initial investigation, where the lower trouser panels of the initially established silhouette were flipped upside down and gathered into the thigh seam (fig 43). This subconsciously formed a direct reference to the Sirwal, as seen in the flag-attire, but also men’s traditional Kurdish, Iranian and Assyrian dress that features the ‘balloon’ silhouette through a tied waist blanket (fig 44). The high waisted trousers were made in various materials and colors including white silk and a pink lightweight cotton blend (fig 45), before being made out of the all black keffiyeh, which provided an accurate fall (fig 46). Additionally, this option fit the overall color palette in its monochromatic wholeness, as a black dress shirt was already drafted from the beginning of the process.
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RESULT
The result of this exploration has resulted in seven looks, all of which are recontextualized in various degrees and aspects. The examples generally create a convergence between polarizing expressions, which contain at least one technique or method that is intended to change the narrative of their respective element(s) in the Occident.
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LOOK 1: THE TRADITIONAL THOBE WITH RAISED PAGODA SHOULDERS
DESCRIPTION:
White traditional thobe with raised signature pagoda shoulders Long sleeves with round French cuffs closed with cufflinks
MATERIAL:
Cotton poplin Metal cufflinks Mother of pearl buttons
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LOOK 2: THE PATCHWORK KEFFIYEH THOBE
DESCRIPTION:
Cropped and patchworked thobe with hip-long side slits and peak shoulders Long sleeves with round French cuffs closed with cufflinks Straight suit pants
MATERIAL:
Hirbawi cotton keffiyeh Mother of pearl buttons Metal cufflinks Metal zipper Metal hook and eye
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LOOK 3: THE NEW PAGODA SUIT WITH KEFFIYEH HALTER NECK
DESCRIPTION:
Suit with extreme flare and standard pagoda shoulders Gathered keffiyeh halter neck with laminated collar and rectangular, open sleeves Single buttoned suit jacket Pleated suit trousers with thigh seam (slight tension) and wrong side of fabric in upper part
MATERIAL:
Velvet cotton Hirbawi cotton keffiyeh (plastic laminated collar) Horn buttons Plastic zipper Metal hook and eye
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LOOK 4: THE JALSA ABAYA AND THE FLAG OF IRAQ
DESCRIPTION:
Abaya with rectangular, open sleeves Button up long sleeve shirt Trousers with gathered seams by thigh and knee
MATERIAL:
Yarn mix upholstery fabric Polyester flags Silk inserts Mother of pearl buttons Plastic zipper Metal hook and eye
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LOOK 5: THE BLUE RHINESTONE KEFFIYEH THOBE
DESCRIPTION:
Short sleeved, flared thobe with raised signature pagoda shoulders and hand embroidered rhinestones Flared suit pants with machine embroidered paragraphs
MATERIAL:
Hirbawi cotton keffiyeh Acrylic rhinestones Mother of pearl buttons Plastic zipper Metal hook and eye
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LOOK 6: THE WHITE KEFFIYEH SUIT
DESCRIPTION:
Suit made entirely with the keffiyeh, with extreme flare and signature peak shoulders Button up long sleeve dress shirt with spearpoint collar and squared French cuffs closed with cufflinks Suit pants with thigh seam and front crease in lower panels
MATERIAL:
Hirbawi cotton keffiyeh Cotton poplin Mother of pearl buttons Metal cufflinks Plastic zipper Metal hook and eye
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LOOK 7: THE HIGH WAISTED KEFFIYEH SIRWAL
DESCRIPTION:
Button up long sleeved dress shirt with hidden button placket and rounded French cuffs closed with cufflinks Sirwal pants with gathered thigh seam
MATERIAL:
Polyester mix Mother of pearl buttons Metal cufflinks Hirbawi cotton keffiyeh Plastic zipper Metal hook and eye
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TECH PACKS
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DISCUSSION
The work that is presented in this documentation is a recontextualization of a selection of original and cultural elements from the Levant and Arabian Peninsula in a take on men’s suits, thobes and accompanying traditional attire. The work was set out to challenge the Western world’s dominant influence on fashion by shaping the narrative of Middle Eastern motifs within the Occident. Overall, the recontextualization is evident both in a general and direct-, but also an abstract manner.
In relation to the personal motive of this work, the result has come to reflect a reinvented expression within ubiquitous elements from the Middle East that are controversial and misperceived in the Occident. The recontextualized propositions have the potential to shape the way we view important cultural symbols and dress. Broadening the definition of tailoring by looking beyond typical Western garments has been a critical aspect in this case. For instance, by applying shoulder pads in a thobe places it in a new context, considering its modesty, that Westerners might acknowledge as a transformable attire, much like the Western suit. The same principle applies to the white keffiyeh suit. In this attire, the cultural symbol has been taken into intricate tailoring in an alternate take on the Western suit silhouette, unswervingly shaping the general perception of the keffiyeh by giving it greater value and purpose in the West. Also, establishing a genuine vocabulary for the process and its results, rather than classifying them as ‘Arab-influenced’ or ‘Oriental’ is a crucial aspect within the critique of the Orientalist narrative that still exists in the present day.
By having applied a general approach to reinvent Westerly controversial components from the transcultural region that are more or less absent in the Western fashion scene, an important discussion surrounding conservancy can be outlined. This is important in today’s climate, where the cultural disconnection, especially within dress, between the Occident and the Middle East can cause a tense conversation. On the other hand, the ideas presented might as well cause controversy inside the transcultural region, because of the radical modification of dress that in some cases is considered preserved. However, the clash of these elements is critical and more valuable than any political discourse because it can, through something as subjective as dress, eradicate structures within racial preconceptions and bias. Additionally, what can be researched further is the actual history of the respective elements, as the facts are rather misleading and rarely evidence-based in Western research. By doing this, one can also adopt a more focused approach with a unitary expression, where key garments and components are not only repeated, but also reduced to certain defining aspects and modified.
Some ways of making the collection more commercial lies in extracting the established shapes, and rearranging them into rather applied silhouettes. This is mainly based on the propositions that the conceptual and statement pieces in the collection convey. A concrete example is taking the patchwork of the keffiyeh into Westerly conventional garments, such as the classic button up shirt. This can also be done by erasing the shoulder pads in some cases, considering that the established silhouettes with their respective patterns alone could be described as applied approaches in the repurposing process.
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References
Almond, Dr. K. (2019). An Analysis of the Shoulder Pad in Female Fashion. Leeds: University of Leeds. https://doi.org/10.1386/fspc.6.1.31_1
Blanks, T. (2007). John Galliano Spring 2008 Menswear. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2008-menswear/john-galliano [2020-03-27]
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Lynch, A., Craik, J., Strauss, M. D., Eicher, J. B., Bradley, L. A., B, Naomi., Buckridge, S. O., Camerlengo, L. L., Colburn, C. A., Collins, V. (2014). Ethnic Dress in the United States : A Cultural Encyclopedia. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/boras-ebooks/reader.action?docID=1832685
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Worsley, H. (2011). 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.
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Image references
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Fior, F. (2019). Balenciaga Spring 2020 Ready-To-Wear. [photo]. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-ready-to-wear/balenciaga/slideshow/collection [2020-08-09]
Feudi, M. (2018). Balenciaga Spring 2019 Ready-To-Wear. [photo]. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2019-ready-to-wear/balenciaga/slideshow/collection [2020-08-09]
Lucioni, A. (2019). Balenciaga Fall 2019 Ready-To-Wear. [photo]. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2019-ready-to-wear/balenciaga/slideshow/collection [2020-08-09]
Montag, I. (2020). Rick Owens Fall 2020 Ready-To-Wear. [photo]. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2020-ready-to-wear/rick-owens/slideshow/collection [2020-05-07]
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