Artemis Goddess, Victorian Corsets, and Its Contemporary Revivals
Jenny Liu
FAS 109 – 14.00
03 December 2007
Essay: Artemis Goddess, Victorian Corsets, and Its Contemporary Revivals
“Fashion has always had a love affair with history, old themes worn as new details.” - Judith Clark, curator of the Spectres exhibition at the V&A.
Although costume and fashion are too often considered the same, they are two different concepts. Costumes are in history and set as a foundation for revival and contemporary fashion. It expresses the way of life of those living in particular places, time periods, and the social classes, in example the elaborate dresses the Queen wears. The kind of lives that people are expected to live are reflected by the costumes worn. The origin of costumes is usually due to the expectations their society sets and what materials are actually available. Costumes set as a symbol of holidays and festivals, such as Santa Claus during Christmas, the Easter Bunny for Easter, and vampires for Halloween. Revivals in fashion are constantly referring to historical costumes for inspiration through its ideas, designs, textiles, art, etc. Fashion is a contemporary word used to define what is popular by the majority of the public. Newest and latest trends are often associated with fashion. It is desired by society to provide personal expression and send a message. What characterizes fashion is constantly changing and evolving. People usually associate fashion to designers, haute couture, celebrities, New York, Milan, London, and prestigious magazine Vogue. Fashion has a reputation to re-establish one’s personality, status, and style. The costumes that I will focus on will be the image of Artemis, the Classical Greek goddess of the hunt, and the other will be of the Victorian corsets of the Victorian Era (1837-1901). Artemis, also recognized as Diana by the Romans, was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister to Apollo, and was associated to light. She was an athletic version of the
FAS 109 – 14.00
03 December 2007
Essay: Artemis Goddess, Victorian Corsets, and Its Contemporary Revivals
“Fashion has always had a love affair with history, old themes worn as new details.” - Judith Clark, curator of the Spectres exhibition at the V&A.
Although costume and fashion are too often considered the same, they are two different concepts. Costumes are in history and set as a foundation for revival and contemporary fashion. It expresses the way of life of those living in particular places, time periods, and the social classes, in example the elaborate dresses the Queen wears. The kind of lives that people are expected to live are reflected by the costumes worn. The origin of costumes is usually due to the expectations their society sets and what materials are actually available. Costumes set as a symbol of holidays and festivals, such as Santa Claus during Christmas, the Easter Bunny for Easter, and vampires for Halloween. Revivals in fashion are constantly referring to historical costumes for inspiration through its ideas, designs, textiles, art, etc. Fashion is a contemporary word used to define what is popular by the majority of the public. Newest and latest trends are often associated with fashion. It is desired by society to provide personal expression and send a message. What characterizes fashion is constantly changing and evolving. People usually associate fashion to designers, haute couture, celebrities, New York, Milan, London, and prestigious magazine Vogue. Fashion has a reputation to re-establish one’s personality, status, and style. The costumes that I will focus on will be the image of Artemis, the Classical Greek goddess of the hunt, and the other will be of the Victorian corsets of the Victorian Era (1837-1901). Artemis, also recognized as Diana by the Romans, was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister to Apollo, and was associated to light. She was an athletic version of the
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