Yesterday we celebrated International Workers' Day, but the same date - 1st May - on the liturgical calendar is also the feast of "St. Joseph the Worker".
For the occasion a statue of the saint was brought in the chapel at Domus Sanctae Marthae in Rome where Pope Francis celebrates Mass every day.
St. Joseph is usually represented with the tools of his trade in his hands, that remind us he was a carpenter and woodworker.
Apart from the trademark tools, this statue features a key accessory: the statue wears a long-sleeved tunic with a short-sleeved apron on top and a belt around the waist. The belt has a purpose, but it is also decorative: it has indeed got a vertical buckle that serves to secure one end of the belt, but it also ends up creating a fluid and draped movement with the fabric of the apron, giving it a more fitted shape.
When we talk about religious inspirations in fashion our minds immediately conjure up the pomp and ceremony of certain rituals, but in this case we have a humble design (the apron) and a basic accessory (the belt) that provide us with a simple, yet perfect and functional look.
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