L'Italo-Americano

SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 2023 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano D r. Susan Gay- lard has been fascinated with clothes for years, but not in the way you might think. Gaylard, an associate profes- sor of Italian studies at the University of Wash- ington, researches Italian culture and clothing and how they have evolved throughout the centuries. It's a topic that has interested her for several decades. A s a y o u n g s t u d e n t i n South Africa, Gaylard was fascinated by history, espe- cially that of ancient Rome. She began Italian language s t u d i e s i n c o l l e g e . " I w a s planning to major in chem- istry or chemical engineer- ing," she said, "and took an Italian class to balance out the science classes. But the more I studied Italian, the more interesting and chal- lenging it became, until it completely took over." G a y l a r d r e c e i v e d h e r Ph.D. in Italian Studies from the University of California Berkeley. A chapter in her doctoral dissertation ana- l y z e d h o w s o m e m a l e Renaissance authors such as Pietro Aretino and Baldas- sarre Castiglione – both of whom lived in the 1500s — were concerned with what t h e y w o r e a n d h o w t h e y w o r e i t . " T h e s e I t a l i a n authors and others talked about clothes in a way that was very intense and all-con- suming," said Gaylard. "I found so many treatises on manners and comportment that I figured it would make an interesting angle for a future class on Italian cul- ture." In 2005, Gaylard joined the faculty at the University o f W a s h i n g t o n . S h e w a s delighted to find the UW had an unusual collection of old f a s h i o n m a g a z i n e s , s o m e dating back to the 1700s, plus a historic costume and textile collection housed in the Henry Art Museum on the UW campus. T h e s e a s s e t s n o t o n l y assisted Gaylard with her research but also helped her create a popular class offered b y U W ' s I t a l i a n S t u d i e s Department called "Fashion, Nature and Culture." The course provides an overview of Italian culture by focusing o n f a s h i o n a n d m a n n e r s from the late medieval peri- od to today. At times, the class has attracted up to 120 students —not just language majors but students from different disciplines, ranging from design to psychology. The course begins in the m i d - 1 3 0 0 s , w h i c h w a s a t i m e o f g r e a t c h a n g e i n Western European clothing. At the start of the 14th cen- tury, both men and women wore long, gender-neutral tunics that were loose and flowing. But by the middle of the century, men's hem- lines were becoming shorter and both men and women s t a r t e d w e a r i n g c l o t h i n g t h a t w a s m o r e f i t t e d a n d specific to their gender. In the literature of the era, this d r a m a t i c s h i f t w a s m u c h d i s c u s s e d . " W h i l e s o m e praised the fine fabrics and g o r g e o u s e m b r o i d e r i e s , other writers vented about the sins of vanity and all the attention to men's legs," said G a y l o r d . B y t h e 1 6 0 0 s , men's fashion had pivoted to a new style of dressing with a more subdued look – the three-piece suit. "By that time, there was a pride in m o d e r n m a s c u l i n e r e s t r a i n t , " s a i d G a y l a r d . " T h e m e n s t i l l w a n t e d t o look exquisite, but they no longer had jewels sewn on t h e i r c l o t h i n g . W o m e n ' s clothes, however, remained highly decorative." Gaylard's research inter- ests revolve around not only clothing but also how poli- tics influences fashion and vice versa. "The designer P a u l P o i r e t i n t r o d u c e d harem pants in 1911 just as Italy was trying to colonize Libya," Gaylard pointed out. " L i k e w i s e , t h e w o m e n ' s p a n t s u i t d e s i g n e d i n t h e 1 9 7 0 s b y G i o r g i o A r m a n i w a s i n t r o d u c e d a g a i n s t a backdrop of Italy's "anni di p i o m b o " ( y e a r s o f s o c i a l unrest), a backlash against hippie culture, and nostalgia for the early years of fas- c i s m . T h e s e f a c t s a l w a y s l e a v e s t u d e n t s a b i t stunned." During annual visits to I t a l y , G a y l a r d e n j o y s h e r time in Rome, not just for its history, food and culture but a l s o f o r t h e B i b l i o t e c a Angelica. Located in front o f P i a z z a S a n t ' A g o s t i n o , n e a r P i a z z a N a v o n a , t h i s library holds an astonishing archive of about 130,000 rare books and manuscripts. " T h i s l i b r a r y h a s b e e n o p e n t o t h e p u b l i c s i n c e 1 6 0 9 a n d i s a r g u a b l y E u r o p e ' s o l d e s t p u b l i c library," said Gaylard. "It's a b e a u t i f u l a n d i n s p i r i n g space: there are undergrad- uates studying for exams, people like me peering at old books, and extremely kind and helpful librarians, all surrounded by several floors of rare books." Another of her favorite I t a l i a n c i t i e s i s U r b i n o , located in the foothills of the northern Apennines. "It's a c i t y t h a t i s l a r g e l y o v e r - looked by mass tourism," s a i d G a y l a r d . " I t h a s a n extraordinary palace, beau- tiful mountains, great food, and charming people. Plus it's the city of Raphael and t h e b a c k d r o p f o r C o r t e - giano, Castiglione's lengthy discourse on what consti- tutes the ideal courtier." G a y l o r d p u b l i s h e d h e r first book, Hollow Men: W r i t i n g , O b j e c t s , a n d P u b l i c I d e n t i t y i n R e n a i s s a n c e I t a l y , i n 2 0 1 3 . H e r s e c o n d b o o k , B e a u t i f u l M o n s t e r s , explores the development of images of women in printed books of the 16th century. She has a third book in the wings called Cinderella's Fashion, an analysis of the intersection of fashion and race from medieval times to modern Italy. A s a t e a c h e r , G a y l a r d hopes that her students not only gain insight into cultur- al shifts through the cen- turies but also take a hard look at their own relation- ship with fashion and cloth- ing. What are they wearing? Does it make a statement, and what does it say? F a s h i o n i s , a f t e r a l l , a form of self-expression. And as Susan Gaylard has shown, what we wear today may give f u t u r e h i s t o r i a n s s o m e insight into our present-day politics and events. Power dressing: the intersection of fashion, culture and politics RITA CIPALLA Left: Susan Gaylard (Photo courtesy of Susan Gaylard); right: harem pants were popular in the early 1900s just as Italy was trying to colonize Libya (Photo: L'Illustration, 1911)

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