Dressed with Distinction: Garments from Ottoman Syria
308 Charles E. Young Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90095
Wednesday, March 20 at 12:00 PM 8:00 PM
Ends Apr 18, 2019
Los Angeles–A rare selection of Syrian garments is coming to the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Dressed with Distinction: Garments from Ottoman Syria features a collection assembled by David and Elizabeth Reisbord and will be on view March 17 through August 18. The exhibition features examples of Arab and Ottoman attire dating from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries and celebrates the talents of weavers and tailors in urban centers like Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs where a sophisticated range of dyeing, weaving, and decorative techniques earned the region international renown for its textile production. Men and women living in these cities were famous for wearing brightly colored clothing worked in silk glittering with gold and silver thread. After World War I (and the end of 400 years of Ottoman rule), Syrians privileged Western attire, leading to an eventual decline in handwoven garment production. More recently, unrest and conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean have virtually eradicated any remnants of these textile traditions and skills. Thus, this exhibition documents the heritage of iconic Arab and Ottoman garments and the importance of fashion as a marker of cultural knowledge. “The Fowler Museum is honored to become the repository and custodian of this rare collection of Ottoman Syrian attire–both donated and promised to the museum by the Reisbords,” said Marla C. Berns, Shirley & Ralph Shapiro Director at the Fowler. “This record of Middle Eastern textile heritage offers extraordinary opportunities for study and appreciation.” Credit Dressed with Distinction: Garments from Ottoman Syria is curated by Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director of the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands, and was made possible in part with funds from David and Elizabeth Reisbord. The accompanying publication is supported by the Cotsen Foundation for Academic Research. All garments on display are from the David and Elizabeth Reisbord Collection, donated and promised gifts to the Fowler Museum.