The multiplicity and variety in forms and decorations of Greek costumes has confused for quite a few decades even the best historians. Researchers in Greek folk art often pointed out distinctions between clothing styles based on geographical and regional reasons, on stylistic influences or chronological developments.
Ioanna Papantoniou, Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation's founder and Greek costume expert, has been exploring this subject since the '50s, becoming an authority in the field to the point that the pleats and embroideries of Greek costumes have turned into a language for her.
Papantoniou recently curated a small but well-researched exhibition at the Hellenic Centre in London, organised in partnership with the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation in Nafplio and with some pieces lent by the Benaki Museum of Athens.
Entitled "Patterns of Magnificence: Tradition and Reinvention in Greek Women’s Costume", the event features around 40 Greek traditional costumes, some of them showcased for the first time in London.
The garments and accessories on display - from the 18th century until the beginning of the 20th century - come from areas such as Astypalaia in the Dodecanese, Stefanoviki in Thessaly, Janina in Epirus, Kymi in Euboea and the island of Psara.
Including both every day clothes and formal-wear, plus dresses donned by the first queen in independent Greece, German-born Amalia Oldenburg, and by the second queen, Queen Olga, the exhibition features rare bridal costumes, coat dresses, chemises, full skirts, gowns characterised by minute tightly packed pleats (made by dampening the fabric and then sculpting it with a sharp fingernail), geometric patterns, ornate decoration or intricate embroideries in gold thread and the cropped, form-fitting jacket that became a must after Queen Amalia started wearing it.
Since in Greece costumes were often employed as an expression of ethnic identity, but were also marked by Byzantine, Renaissance and Turkish influences, the event proves partcularly interesting for people with an interest in costume design and fashion, but also history, geography and anthropology.
What inspired this exhibition?
Ioanna Papantoniou: We wanted to honour the late Koula Lemos who was a very personal friend of mine and a friend of the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation. She gave so much for the Hellenic Centre and always helped us, so I thought the least I could do was to bring to London a proper exhibition with things that were not so well-known to people abroad.
Which are the starting points for this small yet well-researched event?
Ioanna Papantoniou: People may have gone to the Benaki Museum or to other museums and may still not know what a Greek costume is, so we decided to bring very special items to London that support a main research point I have worked upon for years and years and that has to do with two main garments that started it all - the Roman tunic and the Renaissance pleated dress. We borrowed two rare garments - a chemise and a pleated dress from the Benaki Museum - and we employed them as starting points for the exhibition that it then develops and closes with the influence of two queens, a German queen, Amalia of Oldenburg, wife of King Otto, first King of Greece, and Queen Olga, the second queen and wife of King George of Denmark who became King of Greece. Queen Olga emancipated Greek women: before her, women were confined to rural work or, if they were urban ladies, they did nothing, but stayed at home or went out for a walk. Queen Olga started schools for women, places where they could train nurses, seamstresses and embroiderers. The industrial revolution in Greece coincided with her. Under her we started having sewing machines, we started importing embroidery and fashion magazines and the whole concept of Greek local costume changed completely with the "invasion" of European fashion.
Is there a piece among the ones on display that is particular important for historical reasons?
Ioanna Papantoniou: All the pieces are important as they all explain something, eve though some of them are genuinely unique because they are the only ones existing in Greece and abroad. Every costume is there for a reason, from embroidery to weaving techniques or materials employed. One of the costumes, for instance, is made with two kinds of brocades, both from Lyon, but in different qualities, one was "good for the Orient" - as the famous phrase "Bon pour l'Orient!" would also state - and one was "good for the West". This costume explains a lot about fashion and costumes at the time since Greece was the Orient. We have a very rare costume from a lady who was Greek and went to Athens where she met a British pastor; she married him and wrote the whole story of their affair in a band that she incorporated in her dress. That's really extraordinary. We got it thanks to Madeleine Ginsburg who used to be a very good fried of the museum. She asked some of the dealers at an auction not to bid very high so we were able to buy it. Among the other pieces exhibited there are two out of the fifty dolls from the Lyceum Club of Greek Women, Athens, that were brought by Queen Olga from England. The Queen sent the dolls to all the villages and islands that she was fond of asking the local women to make scale costumes for these dolls and have the embroiderers to do the proper embroidery in scale. The reason why we brought these rare and exquisite items here is that we wanted to appeal not only to the Greek community, but to go beyond that, and this has happened, also thanks to a series of events and lectures we ran together with the exhibition.
What did you discover while working on this exhibition?
Ioanna Papantoniou: I've been dealing with this subject since 1954, so I have been doing this research for a long time and I've had a long time to read and think about it, although most of my work has not been based on books, but is based on in situ research. In some parts of Greece there were people who remembered more things because Greece was liberated from the Ottoman rule over a long period of time - from 1821 to 1917. Every region that was united to the main body of Greece lost part of its isolation little by little. Everything I discovered from time to time was a surprise because I was a town person and had no idea about how people in the villages lived. I belong to a dance group in Athens and through that I was prompted to research more and go more in depth doing the field work. I was also a theatre designer and so I had that interest as well that pushed me to research things further. I've also always felt that history is very important: when I was at university they would tell you to always have a chronology chart in mind about what was happening in the rest of the world and what was happening in the region you were based, because there is always a connection. That's the interesting thing about history and, implicitly, also about costumes, spotting such connections.
Who is the ideal visitor of this exhibition?
Ioanna Papantoniou: I think this is a very interesting event for people interested in costume design, especially if they are looking for inspirations. If you think about it, John Galliano or Jean-Paul Gaultier already took inspiration from Greek costumes and, in some cases, they achieved better results than Greek designers, maybe because, when you know too much about something, you risk of sticking to the facts too much and forget about fantasy, whereas fashion is more about the latter. The exhibition is also very inspiring for craft people, because they can see an unbelievable variety of stitches and materials, it is a true feast for the eyes. We also hope that young Greek designers who work in London will get some ideas from this event. We are thinking of organising a competition for fashion designers linked with this event and, hopefully, we will manage to put together a proper award with an ideal jury panel.
Are there any new Greek designers in London that you particularly like?
Ioanna Papantoniou: I like them all! I think they will give an even greater contribution to Greek fashion if they get freer from fixed ideas and let themselves go designing from their hearts!
Where will the exhibition go after London?
Ioanna Papantoniou: The exhibition is booked for Athens, Saloniki and Cyprus. We have already got another exhibition about brides in Athens at the moment and that will travel as well. I don't think the "Patterns of Magnificence" event will go further because a year is too long for some of the items included to be be on display, they will soon need a rest!
"Patterns of Magnificence: Tradition and Reinvention in Greek Women’s Costume", The Hellenic Centre, 16-18 Paddington Street, London W1U 5AS, UK, until 2nd March 2014. All images in this post courtesy of The Hellenic Centre.
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Comments