Baltimore Chapter Meeting

Baltimore Chapter Meeting

Vicky Pass from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) will be presenting "Tuareg Trousers and Saris: Fashioning Modern White Femininity through Ethnic Masquerade"

In American fashion magazines in the 1930s images and descriptions of white women taking on the clothes of non-white women abound: burnous cloaks, sombreros, turbans, and saris all make frequent appearances. This paper will explore the ways these fashions are given meaning for readers in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar we can understand how these Orientalist and Primitivist fashions were used to construct their wearer's modern white femininity. The fashionable white woman rendered modern through her infinite malleability—she can reshape her appearance with clothing, jewelry, makeup, diet, and exercise—while the "other," is primitive, eternally wearing that same traditional clothing. I will share the specific cases of the branding of the Bali bra, the sari, as well as "Chinese" coats and hats.

Read Vicky's bio on the MICA website. 

RSVP to baltimoreasdp@gmail.com to request the Zoom meeting link.