This look was an exploration of combining "Western" and "Eastern" dress elements and whether such elements could be combined seamlessly or if the different styles would not blend with each other, like water and oil.

 

My basis for this design began with a very Euro-centric, Elizabethan theme. Yet while I was looking for Elizabethan fabrics, I found myself drawn to textiles with Asian motifs. It was then I was reminded of the film, The King and I (1956). This film represented the concept of an embodiment of a Western nation and an embodiment of a Eastern nation trying to come together and understand one another. This story became the basis of my inspiration.

 

My Western elements are mostly derived from British and American dress while my Eastern elements are mostly derived from Chinese and Siamese dress elements. This generalized representation of each hemisphere is a metaphor for how people can generalize another culture and assume its characteristics.